Profile
Tom Backhouse
My CV
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Education:
I went to St. Thomas More school and stayed on for sixth form. I studied chemistry, history, English and music at A-level. I then went to Newcastle University and studied medicinal chemistry. I stayed at Newcastle for a 4th year to compete a masters degree in nuclear medicine. I then became more interested in industrial chemistry and went on to study for a PhD in inorganic catalysis chemistry.
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Qualifications:
I received 10 GCSEs. I then received 3 A levels (BCC) and an AS level in music (C). I only just scraped into Newcastle University!
During my first two years at Newcastle I found it challenging as I did not apply myself properly and was more interested in socialising. However, in my 3rd year I received one of the highest scores after knuckling down. This encouraged me to stay for a masters degree, which I obtained as first class.
This success then gained me funding to study for a PhD. During this time I won many awards including;
First year PhD student poster prize for research.
Second year PhD student poster prize for research.
Research prize at the Applied Catalysis Group national conference.
Research prize at the RSC catalysis conference.
Newcastle University excellence in research prize.
Johnson Matthey scale up in catalysis conference research prize.I also published 6 research articles in high impact journals.
As you can see, if you try hard, eventually you will get there!
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Work History:
When I was at school I worked for McDonalds but was let go as I didn’t work hard enough. I then worked part time at TGI Fridays where I learnt to work hard over the 6 years I was there.
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Current Job:
After my PhD I was recruited my Johnson Matthey which is where I plan to continue my career in chemical research. 5 years ago I would never have believed I would make it here!
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About Me:
I completed my bachelors and masters degrees at Newcastle University followed by completion of my PhD, also at Newcastle University. I then joined Johnson Matthey as a research and development chemist in the catalyst technologies team.
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I live near Newcastle and I have 2 cats. In my spare time, I play the guitar and the drums – my favourite band is the Arctic Monkeys! I also play lots of football.
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As a scientist, to develop the best products, I always start in the office! This involves understanding the task and looking at the chemistry; at this stage I need to discover how it works! To do this I look at existing chemistry and think about how it could be improved.
After this, I go to the lab and run some experiments. Sometimes I get lucky – it works first time! Sometimes these experiments throw up more questions – which means more experiments! Once I have made a few small samples, I will characterise them. This involves looking at them under a very powerful microscope as well as other experiments such as using X-rays and infra-red absorption as well as many advances complicated techniques.
After this, I test my samples and I narrow them down to the best candidates. Often customers would require tons of my material. At this stage I go to the manufacturing plant and help the production team to produce the samples on the ton scale using slightly different and very large apparatus – this can be as challenging as developing the product in the first place! This can then be shipped to a customer.
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My Typical Day:
My structure for the day is often unknown – it depends on how my experiments go. I usually put on my lab specs and lab coat and go straight to the lab to check on yesterday’s experiments before planning my days experiments.
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I travel down to site in order to start work at 8.30 am. I often have a cup of coffee when I arrive whilst I check through emails to get myself ready for the challenge ahead. I will grab my safety specs and lab coat and head into the lab.
Often when I arrive in work, I have no idea what the day ahead looks like! This depends on the outcome of yesterday’s experiments. I never know what to expect, so its always exciting to see how my experiments panned out.
If I’m lucky, I will start up a reactor to test my new samples. If the samples don’t look good, I will plan how to learn from this and prepare new and better samples.
I head to the canteen for 12pm on the dot! The canteen here do fantastic food and there is a lot of choice. At 1pm I prepare to go back in the lab. I will look at reactor data and crunch the numbers from previous experiments to evaluate my samples. Often I need to talk to other scientists for guidance. For example: to make the best product, I need to use a nickel compound that explodes in air, can we make this at scale? I am constantly solving problems to find the best case scenario for our customers and my company.
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Determined, creative and curious!
What did you want to be after you left school?
A lawyer or a chemist.
Were you ever in trouble at school?
Always, every day. But I was lucky that I was pushed in the right direction.
Who is your favourite singer or band?
Arctic Monkeys
What's your favourite food?
Ribeye steak - cooked medium rare.
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
To win the lottery, for Sunderland to win the premier league, to disover the next life changing chemistry.
Tell us a joke.
Man walks in to a bar... ouch.
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