Profile

Photo:

Alice Martin

    • About Me:

      I’m originally from Oxford, but I now live by the sea in St Andrews, Scotland. My job is a chemistry PhD student, making new phosphorus containing molecules. In my spare time I love to cook, play music and explore Scotland!

    • Read more

      Coming to university, I wasn’t sure I wanted to go into research, but I completely fell in love with it. Each time I make a new molecule, I get so excited. It’s such a cool feeling to think that you’re possibly the first person EVER to make this molecule. That feeling never gets old.

      I’m lucky that I can be really sociable at university, playing lots of music as well as playing some tennis. Its nice to clear my head with a match against friends after a long day.

      While I love working in chemistry and I find it so interesting, I also really enjoy forgetting about my day job and go exploring in Scotland. It is such a beautiful place, with so much greenery and open space. My aim over the years is to climb the highest mountains in Scotland, called Munros. There are 282 of them, but slowly and steadily I should get there!

    • My pronouns are:

      she/her

    • My Work:

      My work is focused on designing and building new molecules. I’m particularly interested in adding phosphorus to these molecules, which will give them exciting new properties!

    • Read more

      I’m an inorganic chemist – I work with elements in the Main Group of the periodic table, particularly phosphorus. Phosphorus is a really interesting and important element to study, it shares some similarities with nitrogen which is fundamental for life on earth, but also has some unique properties too.

      My work looks into using phosphorus in molecules and testing whether there is some exciting new reactivity occurring. The molecule I make may have loads of potential applications – maybe one day the molecules I make could even help someone with sight loss!

    • My Typical Day:

      My days always start with a cup of tea and some granola for breakfast, then I head off to work for 9am. The mornings are when I set up my reactions, and analyse my data from the day before, then I have lunch with my PhD friends in the department common room around 12.30pm. The afternoons are for more lab work, with a quick tea break mid-afternoon. I tidy up and leave work around 5.30pm, and the evenings are free to catch up with friends and family.

    • Read more

      The life of a researcher is very variable, you never quite know what will happen. While each day has a plan for it, sometimes something else appears instead. One job I love doing is teaching undergraduates as they learn their lab skills; it’s really good fun getting to know the students and explaining how the chemical reactions they’re running really work.

    • What I'd do with the prize money:

      If I were to win the prize money, I’d visit some local schools and bring along some experiments all about photochemistry. It’s a really exciting area of science at the moment, and is a great example of the interplay of chemistry, biology and physics. Plus, its full of pretty colours, what’s not to love!

    My CV

    • Education:

      I grew up in Oxford, and went to a couple of secondary schools in the area, firstly Oxford High School GDST, then Magdalen College School.

      I studied all sorts for my GCSES; but really enjoyed chemistry, as well as woodworking and music. I then moved to Magdalen College School for my Sixth form as they had a real focus on science, and had a great time there.

    • Qualifications:

      I studied for 10 GCSEs and then went on to study 4 A levels in Maths, Further Maths, Chemistry and Physics.

    • Work History:

      During university, I had all sorts of jobs; I was a research intern, an online tutor and I also worked at a tea merchant shop which I absolutely loved !

    • Employer:

      University of St Andrews School of Chemistry

    • My Interview

      • How would you describe yourself in 3 words?

        friendly molecule designer

        What did you want to be after you left school?

        I had absolutely no clue!!

        Were you ever in trouble at school?

        I was a chatterbox so got the odd telling off!

        If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?

        I think I'd be doing something really practical, maybe a furniture maker!

        Who is your favourite singer or band?

        George Ezra

        What's your favourite food?

        lasagne

        If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!

        This is hard! I think I'd wish for the ability to fly like a bird, be able to request specific weather each day, and imagine a tasty meal in my fridge and it would magically be there when I opened the door!

        Tell us a joke.

        What's blue and grey.... an elephant in a denim jacket

Questions answered by Alice

View all Alice's answered questions