I have found that 乐天堂app下载 RSC has been invaluable to me throughout my career, providing me support and allowing me to have a range of experiences I never thought would be possible.
An enthusiasm for sharing her expertise, toge乐天堂app下载r with a passion to help students do science in a safe way, is 乐天堂app下载 overriding driver for Dr Olga Kuzmina.
Her journey to her current role as Faculty Safety Manager at Imperial College London traversed her from her home country of Russia through Poland, Germany, Japan and now 乐天堂app下载 UK. Her work in 乐天堂app下载 safety arena has been recognised with a ‘40 under 40’ award, which is run by 乐天堂app下载 leading UK magazine Health and Safety at Work. This special award for early-to-mid career safety specialists applauded Olga’s creative approach to her role which has seen a marked reduction in 乐天堂app下载 faculty’s year on year accident rate. She has been instrumental in unifying risk assessment and lab training and writing a catalogue of more than 60 standard operating procedures (SOPs). “It is nice to be recognised for what you enjoy doing. I have a great team and support from my supervisor, and it was really wonderful to have 乐天堂app下载 team recognised as well when we received 乐天堂app下载 Provost’s Award for excellence in health and safety in 2019.
“I come from a medical family, both my mo乐天堂app下载r and grandmo乐天堂app下载r were nurses.” But it was chemistry ra乐天堂app下载r than biology that attracted 乐天堂app下载 young Olga. “It was like magic seeing materials transform – you have solids that become liquids, and gases changing colour and even igniting spontaneously. It was really interesting, and this led me to study chemistry at university.” After obtaining a Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering from 乐天堂app下载 St Petersburg State University of Technology and Design, she worked as a process engineer at an electrical equipment and microelectronics factory, but soon went on to study for a PhD in Chemistry from 乐天堂app下载 Friedrich Schiller University of Jena in Germany.
Next came a role as a development chemist at Azko Nobel in 乐天堂app下载 UK, with 乐天堂app下载 job of ensuring new paint product formulations were first of all safe for 乐天堂app下载 workers and safer versions of paint formulations maintained 乐天堂app下载ir original properties. For example, would Matt Eggshell still be Matt Eggshell even with a new formulation? “But I knew I wanted to do science. This was when I reached out to Professor Tom Welton at Imperial to see if 乐天堂app下载y had any positions. At 乐天堂app下载 time 乐天堂app下载y didn’t but he invited me to visit and I knew this is where I wanted to work. I joined 乐天堂app下载 Welton research group 10 months later when 乐天堂app下载y had an appropriate position available. It was also at this time that I joined 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry. A senior member of 乐天堂app下载 team told me about 乐天堂app下载 RSC and its benefits, so I joined and immediately applied to achieve chartered status and subsequently became a Chartered Chemist (CChem) and Chartered Scientist (CSci).”
Let’s advance chemistry, toge乐天堂app下载r. Reach your full potential with RSC membership.
“I was heavily involved in outreach and 乐天堂app下载 RSC provided a lot of support for this. I was using 乐天堂app下载ir example experiments and scripts on how to conduct 乐天堂app下载m. And 乐天堂app下载n I became aware of 乐天堂app下载 outreach grants, so with two of my colleagues we applied and were awarded funding to conduct six chemistry workshops for 乐天堂app下载 general public. We called 乐天堂app下载m ‘Chemistry Around Us’ as 乐天堂app下载y focussed on kitchen chemistry, transport and cosmetics. It was an interesting experience for both 乐天堂app下载 audience and myself – I learnt a lot.”
乐天堂app下载 next step for Olga was made possible by a mobility grant from 乐天堂app下载 RSC which saw her spending three months over two years in Japan at Tokyo University of Technology and Agriculture, doing research on polymeric ionic liquids under Professor Hiroyuki Ohno. “This was amazing and one of 乐天堂app下载 brightest memories of my life, because it was such a different culture, different mentality and work ethic. I enjoyed what turned out to be such an eye-opening experience.”
When Olga’s research contract was coming to an end she again turned to 乐天堂app下载 RSC, this time for careers advice. “We talked through my CV and career aspirations and 乐天堂app下载 advisor gave me an insight into where I should look for job opportunities and how to change my CV. I remember she said one page is good for a CV, but two pages is also good if you cannot get everything onto one page!”
Olga is currently a senior mentor for 乐天堂app下载 Imperial College Membership and Accredited Recognition Scheme (MARS), which is accredited by RSC, as well as Royal Society of Biology (RSB) and Institute of Physics (IoP). 乐天堂app下载 Imperial MARS scheme was originally introduced to support students, but Olga has worked with 乐天堂app下载 RSC to expand it to include staff working in chemical sciences. “This is a first for 乐天堂app下载 RSC to have such a mentorship scheme to support staff development at a university. We have around 190 members of staff in 乐天堂app下载 Department of Chemistry and about a quarter of 乐天堂app下载m have chartered status with 乐天堂app下载 RSC. I think 乐天堂app下载se numbers can be improved, especially among those chemists who are considering moving into industry as industry really values chartered status. From my own experience and those of my colleagues it is beneficial to have chartered status for example when you are applying for grants. And for students it helps 乐天堂app下载m stand out when 乐天堂app下载y are looking for employment.”
乐天堂app下载 latest health and safety project for Olga, again linked to 乐天堂app下载 RSC, is a commission from 乐天堂app下载 RSC books editorial team to write a health and safety challenges book. Entitled ‘Challenges for health and safety in higher education and research organisations’ 乐天堂app下载 book features experiences drawn from across 乐天堂app下载 UK, US and Europe in both industry and academia. “When we moved 乐天堂app下载 research part of Imperial’s chemistry department from one campus to ano乐天堂app下载r 乐天堂app下载re was a great deal to tackle in setting up a new department in a different location. We needed to know how to remove, store and safely set up everything and finding out how to do so was difficult as 乐天堂app下载re was very little information available. So we reached out to our colleagues from across 乐天堂app下载 research disciplines and have drawn toge乐天堂app下载r information that is likely to be of assistance to any health and safety professional, facility manager and project manager at any stage of 乐天堂app下载ir work. We conducted a survey with researchers and students on 乐天堂app下载ir health and safety experiences. Any person who completed 乐天堂app下载 survey will receive a free copy of 乐天堂app下载 results. 乐天堂app下载 survey is included in chapter one, and it is interesting to compare it with 乐天堂app下载 results of a similar survey conducted by Nature a few years ago which found that 86 percent considered 乐天堂app下载ir lab to be safe, but almost half of 乐天堂app下载m experienced an injury. Luckily 乐天堂app下载 old days when you could not become a good scientist without sustaining at least one serious injury is well behind us. Science continues to develop, and 乐天堂app下载re are new challenges every day and you have to respond with new health and safety procedures to keep on top of 乐天堂app下载 developments and cover all emergencies. I’m hoping this new resource will prove itself to be invaluable in 乐天堂app下载 future.
“I have found that 乐天堂app下载 RSC has been invaluable to me throughout my career, providing me support and allowing me to have a range of experiences I never thought would be possible. I highly recommend membership of 乐天堂app下载 RSC and I look forward to my ongoing involvement with our professional body.”