Profile
Lindsay Robinson
My CV
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Education:
Mount Vernon Primary, Bannerman High School, University of Strathclyde
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Qualifications:
8 Standard Grades (English, Maths, Computing, French, Geography, History, Chemistry, Physics) 6 Highers (English, Maths, Chemistry, Physics, Geography, Economics) CSYS (Chemistry) , MSci Chemstry
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Work History:
I’ve worked as a chemist for all of these companies: Pfizer, MSD, Xention, Argenta Discovery and University of Dundee
I worked in a supermarket while I was at school and university.
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Current Job:
Synthetic medicinal chemist
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About Me:
I live in Glasgow and work as a chemist trying to find new compounds to treat diseases.
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I live in Glasgow with my husband and little girl. I like cycling, going to aerobics classes and walking in the hills in Scotland. We live near the River Kelvin so I love cycling along the path beside the river. I’ve seen lots of birds there, including a kingfisher – which was bit unexpected in such a busy place!
When I’m not trying to get out and about, I love eating out and watching crime series on TV.
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I work at BioAscent Discovery Ltd. It’s a contract research organisation which means that others companies pay us to do research for them. My job is to design and make chemical compounds which can be used as medicines. We test them and try to improve them to make them better at targeting specific diseases. I spend most of my day working in the lab. Here’s me rocking my labcoat and safety specs!
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My Typical Day:
I spend most of my day at in the lab putting on reactions. I usually have to try to make chemical that no one has ever made before. These can then be tested to see if they can treat different diseases.
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I use a fume cupboard in work because it helps to keep me safe. It means that all the dangerous chemicals are contained. This is my fume cupboard. It’s not always as tidy as this!
I have to analyse my reactions to check that they’re working and that I’ve made the right thing. We have a lot of expensive equipment to do all our analysis because it’s really important that the chemicals are what you think they are. One of our most important instruments for analysis is an NMR. It’s really just a big electromagnet and it’s a bit like the MRI scanners that you might have seen in hospitals. This is what it looks like:
If I’ve made the right thing, these compounds are tested by biologists in their experiments to see if they can treat the diseases we’re interested in. When I’m not actually doing reactions, I spend my time planning new routes to make other compounds and thinking of ways to improve them.
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What I'd do with the prize money:
I’d use it to get local school kids to come to our lab and see what scientists do every day.
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Chatty, hard-working, impatient
What did you want to be after you left school?
I’ve always wanted to be a chemist but I thought about being a chemical engineer for a while.
Were you ever in trouble at school?
Not really – I was a bit of a goody two shoes.
Who is your favourite singer or band?
Lots of different stuff - Alt-J, Public Service Broadcasting, First Aid Kit, Neil Young, Steve Earle, Pulp, Bruce Springsteen
What's your favourite food?
Mexican food - burritos and enchiladas
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
1. I’d love to be able to click my fingers and be able to travel to anywhere in the world. 2. Speak loads of different languages. 3. I’d love to be able to draw. Not a masterpiece or anything, just be good enough that other people could actually recognise what it was supposed to be!
Tell us a joke.
There were two fish in a tank. One fish says to the other, “How do you drive this thing?”
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