Katie, Science Graduate
How did you come to choose science as a career?
At school, I was always good at science. I was also surrounded by positive female influences and female science teachers, so I always felt it was an option. I found ‘Material Science and Engineering’ by accident at a university open day, and it just clicked. I liked working out how things are made and designing things in different ways. Now I use science for sustainability, to help people and the planet.
What advice would you give to someone embarking on their career?
Don’t pigeon-hole yourself too quickly with a niche discipline. There are loads of scientific degrees that keep your career options open.
Also, don’t just focus on scientific skills; develop good presentation skills, report writing skills and people skills to improve your employability.
What do you enjoy most about your role?
I’m quite hands-on, so laboratory work definitely suits me. I work in process development so, effectively, we scale up stuff from our laboratory all the way into production. For me, being able to do initial research and seeing it through to manufacturing is incredibly rewarding.
Would you recommend a career in science?
Absolutely. The options are limitless, so rewarding and constantly changing. The option to learn across disciplines is fantastic.
To learn more about careers like these with Johnson Matthey, click here.