Profile
Lisa Allen
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About Me:
I live in Oxfordshire with my partner and I am a scientist working in catalysis. I’m a big fan of cycling, karaoke, and pancakes!
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I am originally from Bristol and have two big sisters. Most of my family work in teaching, but I am the first scientist and the first Dr! I met my partner in our first year at university and we both did chemistry. I took a year off to work and travel after finishing my chemistry degree, and ended up going back to university to do a PhD, which I finished last year.
I love to travel, specifically going for walks and visiting historical sites. I often cycle with friends and family, which acts as an excellent excuse to find new cafes and sweet treats. I also love to play games; video games, card games, board games, you name it!
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My pronouns are:
She/her
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My Work:
I look at materials that make reactions work to help understand them and make them better.
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Specifically, I look at catalytic materials (they make reactions work better and faster) and do lots of different experiments to find out new things about them and/or compare materials to find the best one.
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My Typical Day:
I wake up, get ready, have breakfast, and head to work for around 10am (I’m a night owl!). In the morning, I will set up experiments and then have lunch with friends. In the afternoon, I will check on the experiments, look at the results, and go home around 6pm. Sometimes the days also have meetings, so I have to balance those around my experiments.
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Often, I travel for work, which is usually to another laboratory to do special experiments! These can be intense, and often require us to work in shifts (morning, evening, and night). Also, I work closely with other teams to support their research and look after PhD students and apprentices.
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Education:
I went to secondary school and sixth form, and then I moved to Cardiff for 4 years to study chemistry and get my masters degree.
After that, I took a year off to work and travel, and then started my PhD in Oxfordshire, focusing on special characterisation techniques (ways to look at materials), which took around 4 years.
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Qualifications:
During secondary school I finished my GCSE’s and did the usual subjects alongside my chosen 3: food tech, health and social care, and sociology (no additional science!).
I then went to sixth form and chose english language, psychology, biology, and chemistry. I dropped english language at AS level, and continued with the other 3 subjects to A level.
After that, I went to Cardiff University to do chemistry and completed that to obtain my masters degree.
I then took a year out to work and travel, and finally I started my PhD, which I finished last year.
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Work History:
During sixth form I worked as a kitchen helper/waitress in my local pub on the weekends, mostly to get some extra cash as a teenager!
During university, I worked part time at a local restaurant to help support myself financially.
To fund my travel during the year after my masters degree, I worked in a warehouse doing lots of manual labour but also working with lots of amazing people.
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Current Job:
Now that I have completed my PhD, I am working as a research scientist for an industrial company, focusing on characterisation (looking at and understanding different aspects) of materials.
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Crazy characterisation scientist
What did you want to be after you left school?
Still a scientist, but in biology
Were you ever in trouble at school?
I was pretty good, I think... You'd have to ask my teachers
If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?
Working with animals
Who is your favourite singer or band?
Arlo Parks
What's your favourite food?
Pancakes
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
Photographic memory, speak every language, ability to clean/tidy in an instant
Tell us a joke.
Yesterday, I ate a clock. It was very time consuming, especially when I went back for seconds
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