Can you tell us about your role and career pathway?
I am a Chemist who studies materials chemistry, electrochemistry, physics, and engineering simulation.
As an undergraduate I studied Chemical Engineering, choosing this subject as it is quite broad and I am able to develop skills in engineering, science, chemistry, life cycle assessments, and more. This offered a wide range of possibilities to pursue a career in.
I then went on to complete a PhD in Chemistry at the University of Bristol. My research project was on the design and synthesis of functional materials for CO2 conversion. I designed redox active porous materials that were able to transform CO2 into valuable chemicals such as methanol, choosing this subject because capturing CO2 from the environment and being able to use it as a feedstock could lead to a sustainable future.
Currently, I have been engaging in the world of digital chemistry to use, We are currently working on using machine learning, computer vision and automation to accelerate electrochemical experimentation from the design of electrodes to characterisation of materials and electrocatalysis. This research aims to reduce human error and speed the selection of materials for electrochemical applications such as Hydrogen evolution reaction, CO2 electrochemical reduction and more.
Do you have an area of expertise / research?
My areas of expertise are chemical engineering, materials chemistry, electrocatalysis and more recently digital chemistry.
Do you have any advice you would like to share?
Having a goal in mind and planning the steps and actions required with specific timelines is really useful, and if the steps are planned with the help of a mentor even better. I also think perseverance and keeping an open mind to change directions are important! Finally, enjoy what you do, is it exciting? challenging? are you motivated? then you are in the right path.
Find out more about Veronica, and keep up to date with her work by following her on LinkedIn.