I am a Senior Lecturer in Chemistry and Director of outreach and public engagement for chemistry at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) having previously completed a BSc, PhD and post-doctoral studies in chemistry at Imperial College London, and subsequently taught at the University of Hertfordshire. It was there that I first became involved in the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) Chemistry At Work exhibitions developing demonstrations around the title The Tail of the Beetle and Poisoned Blood.
Chemistry is a truly amazing and fascinating subject that is fundamental to understanding the workings of the natural world and it underpins biology, medicine, materials science, the environment and a host of other areas. I am passionate about chemistry and in coordinating and carrying out outreach activities for the Department of Chemistry at QMUL. I derive enormous pleasure from the wow factor that students get from doing fun experiments using liquid nitrogen and cardice (solid carbon dioxide) and demonstrating the explosive chemistry associated with the defence mechanism of the bombardier beetle and I have developed new themes for these lecture/demonstrations including The Air We Breathe and Chemistry is Kool, which are delivered both at QMUL and in schools.
I participate in a range of other outreach activities for the Department and the college including the Salters’ Festival of Chemistry, the RSC’s Schools’ Analyst Competition, the Festival of Communities and spectroscopy masterclasses where students can see practical infra-red and NMR demonstrated. I am a STEM ambassador and I give research talks in the area of dioxygen (O2) – its discovery by Joseph Priestley, origin and properties, the activation of O2 and its reduction for the in situ generation of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and applications in the areas of bleaching, disinfection and selective oxidation.
I also give career talks especially for students who are not sure of their future career plans (and not many are at 18 years!). Chemistry is a good choice because it offers such a wide range of career options – and even allows for a career switch to for example the financial sector e.g. accountancy because in doing a degree in chemistry students are taught a range of soft skills including being numerate, thinking analytically, problem solving, ability to communicate well (both written and oral), and being dexterous through the large number of laboratories undertaken and, perhaps uniquely to chemistry at QMUL, a course in programming and the option of doing a module of computational chemistry in the 3rd year.
I have 12 years of experience in delivering outreach and public engagement events to young people and I am incredibly passionate about promoting science, chemistry and higher education to the general public. Since joining QMUL in January 2017, I have helped to organize several events including the Salters Festival of Chemistry, Laboratory Taster Days and Y12 conferences. I am also the organiser of the Chemistry Residential Summer School. I participate in the annual Festival of Communities event, where alongside Dr Tippu Sheriff and Dr Giorgio Chianello we provide young people and adults from the local community an opportunity to do some hands-on chemistry. Furthermore, I am a STEM ambassador and am very happy to work with schools/science clubs on science projects. Finally, I can provide talks to schools and colleges on a number of topics including; The story of Taxol; Studying Chemistry at University, Career opportunities for Chemistry Graduates as well as more research focused talks based on the projects currently under investigation in my laboratory. For more information about these or any of the above please do not hesitate to get in touch.
I am a lecturer in Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry with over 9 years of experience in delivering outreach and public engagement events. I am very passionate about science dissemination and widening participation at any level (schools, professionals, university, the general public etc.). Since joining QMUL in 2012, initially as a PhD student, I have helped to organise and lead numerous activities including Spectroscopy in a Suitcase (hands on IR and NMR workshops for sixth form students), Laboratory Taster Days (held at QMUL) both sponsored by the Royal Society of chemistry, the International and Residential Chemistry Summer schools, the Salters Festival of Chemistry, the Festival of communities (providing young people and adults from the local community an opportunity to perform some hands on chemistry). Furthermore, I can deliver talks to schools and colleges on various topics including Nanotechnology, Studying Chemistry at University, Careers in Chemistry, Spectroscopy, Pharmaceutical Chemistry and many more. Although my scientific background is based on nanotechnology and drug delivery, I am also involved in educational research focusing on new teaching technologies and enhancement on inclusion and diversity within the scientific community. Please do not hesitate to contact me should you be curious to know more about all of the above.