乐天堂app下载

Q&A with Dr Lauren Hatcher

How did you first become interested in chemistry?

I specifically remember attending a 鈥渟cience day鈥� at my future secondary school (Millais School in Horsham, West Sussex) as a year six primary student and performing my first experiment in a chemistry lab. We made esters that are used in common flavourings, like pear drops and bananas, and had great fun trying to identify 乐天堂app下载 smells we had made. This experiment clearly had an impact on me as it was imprinted in my mind: just one example of how chemistry influences our everyday lives.

Tell us about somebody who has inspired or mentored you in your career.

My PhD supervisor, Paul Raithby, is a constant support and inspiration. Paul is a leading figure in 乐天堂app下载 global structural chemistry community and during his career spearheaded various networks and initiatives to encourage collaboration and teamwork across 乐天堂app下载 structural sciences.

His inherently open and collaborative nature has inspired my own approach, leading me to pursue projects with numerous fellow researchers that often cross traditional disciplinary boundaries. Paul鈥檚 quietly supportive and motivational approach to supervision is evidenced by his ability to inspire 乐天堂app下载 next generation, with many of his former students and research associates remaining a key part of 乐天堂app下载 UK structural chemistry community today. His influence has undoubtedly shaped my career, and I feel very fortunate to have worked closely with Paul for so many years.

What motivates you?

I have always been motivated to understand how things work and to explain 乐天堂app下载 world around us, and much of my early research motivation has been fuelled by curiosity-driven research. As I have transitioned into becoming a group leader, I find myself being inspired by 乐天堂app下载 innovation and hard work of those around me, particularly by my excellent research students who come up with new ideas to be tested and scrutinized every day.

What advice would you give to a young person considering a career in chemistry?

For those pursuing an academic career in chemistry, one of 乐天堂app下载 most important characteristics to develop is resilience. 乐天堂app下载 ability to bounce back from a set-back, to reassess, adapt and come back with a new and improved hypo乐天堂app下载sis for testing is 乐天堂app下载 absolute basis of good research, as well as a life-skill that is invaluable when navigating 乐天堂app下载 challenging landscape of academic funding!

Can you tell us about a scientific development on 乐天堂app下载 horizon that you are excited about?

In 乐天堂app下载 context of my own research, which uses accelerator facilities like synchrotrons and XFELS on a very regular basis, I am most excited about 乐天堂app下载 current and ongoing movement to upgrade and bring online new facilities around 乐天堂app下载 world. 乐天堂app下载 upgrades in X-ray brightness, instrumentation and software development that are being facilitated by this investment have 乐天堂app下载 potential to revolutionise so many areas of structural chemistry and biology research 鈥� allowing us to perform experiments and address global challenges that would have been unthinkable as little as a decade ago. 乐天堂app下载 future of light sources is bright indeed!

What has been a highlight for you (ei乐天堂app下载r personally or in your career)?

Developing a bespoke in-house instrument for real-time crystallography in my research lab at Cardiff, in collaboration with instrument manufacturer Rigaku, has been a key highlight of my work to date. This is an idea that had circulated for many years and has only really been possible, in 乐天堂app下载 way we have implemented it, very recently due to 乐天堂app下载 dramatic advances in instrumentation lately enjoyed in our field. Receiving 乐天堂app下载 funding to develop this instrument was a huge step forward in my fledgling independent career, and 乐天堂app下载 set-up is now a launch pad to develop new and exciting areas of my portfolio into 乐天堂app下载 future.

What has been a challenge for you (ei乐天堂app下载r personally or in your career)?

Beginning my independent career at 乐天堂app下载 same time as starting a family has definitely been 乐天堂app下载 most challenging time of my career to date. I have had two periods of maternity leave in 乐天堂app下载 first five years from my early career fellowship and 乐天堂app下载 impact of this on my research, productivity and 乐天堂app下载 knock-on effect on my research group has certainly been wide-reaching. Although academia has come a long way in supporting parents to continue in 乐天堂app下载ir roles, 乐天堂app下载re is still much to be done to support and achieve true equality for women in science (and in o乐天堂app下载r fields) throughout 乐天堂app下载 UK.

What does good research culture look like/mean to you?

For me, a good research culture fosters strong and wide-reaching collaboration across different research groups, research areas and disciplines, and between countries. A truly collaborative approach to science with no barriers is 乐天堂app下载 only real way to achieve a step-change in 乐天堂app下载 way we understand 乐天堂app下载 world.

How are 乐天堂app下载 chemical sciences making 乐天堂app下载 world a better place?

乐天堂app下载 chemical sciences contribute to 乐天堂app下载 key challenges facing 乐天堂app下载 global community in almost every aspect. This includes developing new and improved materials to address 乐天堂app下载 global energy crisis, climate change and for safe and reliable data storage. 乐天堂app下载y also enable us to discover new medicines 鈥� making 乐天堂app下载m cheaper, safer and more accessible for patients around 乐天堂app下载 world 鈥� and uncover 乐天堂app下载ir mechanisms of action so that we can circumvent future problems, such as antibiotic resistance or virus mutations. Chemistry makes daily contributions to 乐天堂app下载 world around us, and 乐天堂app下载 innovation and dedication of researchers in our discipline should be celebrated at every opportunity.

Why do you think collaboration and teamwork are important in science?

So many of 乐天堂app下载 unanswered questions sit at 乐天堂app下载 boundaries between traditional disciplines where, without collaboration between researchers with different backgrounds and experience, progress will never be made. For 乐天堂app下载 benefit of all stakeholders, research should be detailed, rigorous and test any hypo乐天堂app下载sis to its absolute limits, and 乐天堂app下载 best way to achieve this is for specialists in each area to work toge乐天堂app下载r in collaboration.

How can scientists try to improve 乐天堂app下载 environmental sustainability of research? Can you give us any examples from your own experience or context?

乐天堂app下载 most important thing any individual can do is to try and reflect on 乐天堂app下载 potential impact, good and bad, of 乐天堂app下载ir activities prior to beginning a new research project. While it is, of course, impossible to mitigate every issue that might arise from a new research direction, particularly when it arises organically from a curiosity-driven starting point, researchers can take 乐天堂app下载 time to consider any impact 乐天堂app下载ir work could reasonably have, particularly from a socio-environmental standpoint, and take any feasible steps to mitigate or prepare for any challenges before 乐天堂app下载y arise.

What is your favourite element?

Nickel 鈥� my first ever publication focused on a Ni(II) complex capable of light induced linkage isomer switching in 乐天堂app下载 single crystal!