Profile

Natasha Marchant
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About Me:
I live with my partner and our cat ๐ฑ in Berkshire. I work as an analytical scientist ๐ฉ๐ผโ๐ฌ and in my spare time, I like to play games ๐ฎ and spend time with friends and family (and my cat, of course! ๐)
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I live with my partner of 5 years in Berkshire with our cat ๐ฑ ย who is 1.5 years old. Some people consider me a crazy cat lady and my cat gets treated like a princess! ๐ I spend my days working as an analytical scientist ๐ฉ๐ผโ๐ฌ and much of my spare time is used to take a break! Me and my partner enjoy playing games ๐ฎ and we sometimes play games online with our friends. My family and most of my friends live far away so I enjoy visiting them or having them visit me ๐. I also like spending time outside, as long as the weather isnโt too hot โ๏ธ or too rainy โ๏ธ.
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My pronouns are:
She/her
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My Work:
I work as an analytical scientist for Johnson Matthey, specifically looking at battery materials for electric vehicles!
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I work as an analytical scientist for Johnson Matthey, specifically looking at battery materials for electric vehicles. I have worked at Johnson Matthey for 3 years now, previously doing research to find new materials that would work well in batteries. Now I carry out analytical tests to look at new materials that other people in my team are researching. I use the analytical tests to check different properties of the materials and then I share those results with the team so they can work out if it is a good material or not.
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My Typical Day:
Usually, I wake up early and go into work for about 8am. I look at what samples have been submitted for analysis, head to the lab and carry out the analysis. The analysis I carry out can take some time to run so I will carry out other tasks including helping the team, tidying the lab or writing up results as required. I usually go home at 4:30pm.
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Usually, I wake up at 6:45am and leave my house at 7:30am which means I get to work at 8am. I like to go in early and finish early.
When I get to work, I go up to the office and set up my desk for the day, check some emails and work out a plan for the day. Usually, there are samples for me to analyse so I go to the lab and start with those. The analysis I do can take a few hours so itโs best to start early! If I have no samples to analyse, I have other projects to work on, for example I have to develop methods for analysing different samples.
I spend most of my day in the lab, analysing samples or trying to keep the lab in tip-top shape. I also work at my desk, replying to emails, looking at data from my analysis and also writing reports of the data.
I normally go home at 4:30pm.
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What I'd do with the prize money:
I would use the prize money to support the University of Warwick Chemistry Outreach Programme.
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Extra science classes in year 6 really started to push me towards my love of science, therefore I would love to give the money to the Schools Outreach Programme in the Chemistry Department at the University of Warwick. They provide their sessions either at the University or at schools free of charge and I’m sure they would appreciate the money to provide bigger and better demonstrations that reach a larger audience.
https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/chemistry/about/schools/
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Education
Secondary School & sixth form – Sir Robert Pattinson Academy (Lincoln, 2007-2014)
University – University of Warwick (Coventry, 2014-2018)
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Qualifications
GCSE
- Maths ย ย A*
- English ย ย B B
- French ย ย A*
- Separate Science ย A* A* A
- ICT ย ย Distinction (x2)
- Photography ย ย B
- Spanish ย A*
- RE ย ย C
- Geography ย B
A-Levels
- Chemistry ย A
- Physics ย B
- Maths ย A*
- Spanish ย C
University
- First Class Masters Degree in Chemistry with industrial placement
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Work History
2013-2014 – Canteen Supervisor at my secondary school
2014-2015- Lifeguard at Warwick Uni sports centre
2015-2017- Summer job at Ice Cream shop/ Cafe in Lincoln
August 2016 to August 2017 – University Placement year at GSK as a Material Scientist
August 2018 – first job after University as a Research Scientist in Battery Materials at Johnson Matthey
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Employer
Johnson Matthey
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Cat loving analyst
What or who inspired you to follow your career?
My dad
What was your favourite subject at school?
Science/chemistry
What did you want to be after you left school?
To work in science
Were you ever in trouble at school?
No, I was a โgoody-two-shoesโ
If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?
No idea!
Who is your favourite singer or band?
Imagine Dragons
What's your favourite food?
Macaroni cheese
What is the most fun thing you've done?
Going to Disney World
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
To be more confident in my abilities, to be adventurous and to be happy in whatever I do!
Tell us a joke.
How do you tell the difference between a weasel and a stoat? A weasel is โweasilyโ recognised and a stoat is โstoatallyโ different
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My profile link:
https://ias.im/u.299530
My Comments
๐ The Battery Zone Winner is Michael Hills (1 comments)
๐ The third scientist of the week is Michael Hills (1 comments)
๐ The second scientist of the week is Beatrice Browning (1 comments)
๐ The first scientist of the week is Natasha Marchant (1 comments)
Are you ready for the Battery Zone? (1 comments)