Profile
Kerry Simmance
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About Me:
I’m a mum of 2 young children living in central London. I work as a research scientist but in my spare time I love to do arts & crafts and travel the world. I love to listen to live music, swim in the sea and eat great food!
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My Typical Day:
I wake up and leave early for work as I have a long (1hr 30mins) commute to get to the labs that I work in. Some days I have a lot of meetings with my colleagues to discuss science but generally I do some experiments in the lab in the morning which normally involves mixing chemicals and then drying these mixtures in an oven – quite similar to cooking! I have lunch in the canteen and then in the afternoon I may run some tests which help me understand what materials I have formed and what properties they have which may be useful to the application. I then leave to go home at 4pm and spend the evening with my family at home.
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What I'd do with the prize money:
Id invest it in to arranging days out in London for children which relate to science but are fun with a quiz/game/treasure trail.
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Education:
Primary school: St Josephs catholic primary school, Maida Vale, London
Secondary school/6th form college: :Convent of Jesus & Mary Secondary school, Harlesden, London.
University: University college London UCL, Euston, London where I completed a masters degree and PhD in chemistry
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Qualifications:
GCSEs: Maths(A), English Language (B), English Literature (B), Chemistry(A), Biology(A), Physics(A), Geography(A), Italian(C), Religious education(A), Textiles (A), Environmental science (D)
A-levels: Maths (B), Chemistry (B), Geography (C)
Masters degree in Chemistry (2:1)
PhD in materials chemistry related to zeolites
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Work History:
- 1 year: Knowledge transfer scheme between my university and Johnson Matthey which involved a fundamental understanding project on the characterization of zeolites.
- 10 years (and counting!) at Johnson Matthey
- 3 years on researching of zeolite materials for Diesel applications
- 7 years on researching mixed metal oxides for gasoline applications
- new role looking at materials for a number of different applications
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Current Job:
Research scientist at Johnson Matthey Technology center working in the core competencies department
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
woman in science
What did you want to be after you left school?
Maths teacher
Were you ever in trouble at school?
yes a few times, I was also always late!
Who is your favourite singer or band?
Coldplay
What's your favourite food?
Pizza
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
More time, a better memory, and the ability to play a musical instrument!
Tell us a joke.
Im really awful a jokes! "knock knock, whos there?, Boo, Boo who?, oh why are you so sad?"
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