When did you first become interested in science?

 

I can’t remember a time when I was not interested in science! Like Carl Sagan said “Every kid starts out as a natural-born scientist, and then we beat it out of them.” My interest was helped along by my uncle who was a chemistry and physics teacher. I remember when my cousins and I were young he would give us science and maths problems to solve and offered Mars bars as prizes. Strangely, I do remember being given the problems but I never remember a Mars bar materialising… Maybe I never got them right, or maybe the fun of the quiz was enough of a prize for me!

 

What path did you take to your career?

 

I have a bachelor’s degree with honours in chemistry from the University of Western Australia and I’m now also doing a PhD at Monash University. My honours project was about analysing pesticides in wine and grapes, and kindled my passion for analytical chemistry. Analytical chemistry is about measuring and identifying the chemicals that make up the world around us. Analytical chemists also figure out new ways of measuring chemicals, or how to detect them at lower levels. As an analytical chemist, I’ve been able to use my skills in a number of different fields; environmental monitoring, forensics, food chemistry and fuel science.

 

What is an average day like in your job?

 

My work is roughly half laboratory based and half office work. The techniques that analytical chemists use in the lab are quite varied, it can be anything from using basic, stereotypical lab equipment like test tubes and Bunsen burners, to sophisticated and highly sensitive scientific instruments worth close to a million dollars. Along with doing experiments in the lab comes data analysis, interpretation, statistics and writing up the results in a journal article or report. I also attend conferences and meetings to present work, or discuss new findings with colleagues.

 

What is the best thing that has happened in your job?

 

It’s not a specific event, but the absolute best part about being a research scientist is the thrill of discovering something new. When you put a lot of work into planning and carrying out an experiment and then the results reveal something that no one else in the world has figured out yet – that is an incomparable feeling.

 

What advice would you give to a young aspiring scientist?

 

Do what you love to do, but be realistic about the opportunities that exist. Research the kinds of careers you think you might be interested in, try and meet some people who do that job, or visit a workplace where that job is done. If you are able, work experience or an internship can be an excellent ‘taster’ to see if a particular career is for you. Being a scientist is not an easy job, but if you’re armed with knowledge and passion, chemistry can be an immensely rewarding career.