Emily Rose

"I am an explorer. I like understanding ideas, and improving upon them. I am always wondering \"how can this be done better?\" and \"how do we solve this problem?\". This is very important in my job role, which is focused on technology and robotics. What I love about robotics is if you can dream it, it can probably be done. Therefore it is my job to look at tasks and think \"could a robot do this better?\". Usually yes! "

"A chemical reaction has many variables which may influence how much product you make. This could be temperature, solvent, catalysts, reagents. It can be hard to know where to start when choosing these variables. My job is to run hundreds of the same reaction, with a different set of variables in each one, to find the best combination to make the most product. This sounds like a lot of work, and it would be if I didn't have robots! I use robots to weigh out my starting materials, add my solvents, and monitor the reaction to tell me how much product I have made. I run reactions in tiny vials at 0.3 mL volume, and I usually do multiples of 96 at a time. This gives me tonnes of data to analyse and to find out which is the best temperature, solvent, catalyst, reagent, or other variable to run the reaction at larger scale. "

"I took an unusual route into this role. When I was doing my A-Levels, I knew that I did not want to go to university, so I didn't apply. Instead, I did a level 3 apprenticeship. An apprenticeship is when you work and study at the same time. I worked 4 days a week as an Analytical Chemist, which I was paid for. I was given full training and soon was running the lab as a competent Chemist. The 5th day was spent in lessons for a BTEC in applied Science. I found that I loved the combination of working and studying, and once my 2 year apprenticeship had ended, I applied for a level 6 apprenticeship. I am 3 years into my course, studying for a BSc in Chemistry, while working as a High-Throughput Organic Chemist. I don't even pay for my degree as my company picks up the bill!"

"I like playing Dungeons and Dragons. I always thought it was a game for hardcore geeks, but I really enjoy pretending to be a 3 foot tall gnome fighting goblins and using magic. My company hires many apprentices, sandwich students, and graduates, so there are many people around my age. We often get together outside of work to forget about work and uni and have some good food. "

"I choose the variables to use in my reactions by looking in the scientific literature for what other Chemists have used in similar reactions. Once I've designed my reactions, I get together all the chemicals I need and load them into the robots. I then program the robots to carry out my reactions. I tell them how much of each chemical to add, how fast to stir, what temperature is needed, and when to sample my reactions. It is a good idea to get the robots going overnight so I don't have to wait for them during work time. I take the samples and analyse them on an instrument called an HPLC. This will tell me what was in the reactions at each sample: whether there is starting material left, how much product I have made, and if any impurities have formed. I spend a fair amount of time processing this data to identify the best variables. I then put this into a report and present my findings to another Chemist, who will scale up my recommendations to make sure they work.When I am not running reactions, I am developing the technologies we have. I invent robots to suit my needs! I just need to make one that will make a mean cup of tea for my breaks."

"After my GCSEs, I did A-levels in Chemistry, Biology, and Maths. I then did a Level 3 BTEC (equivalent to 2 A-levels) in Applied Science alongside working in a laboratory. I am now doing a part-time degree in Chemistry."