Hayley Russell

Hayley graduated from the MChem programme in 2019. After leaving Edinburgh she first worked as a publishing editor at the Royal Society of Chemistry, and has since gone on to complete her PhD.

Name Hayley Russell
Degree MChem Chemistry with Environmental and Sustainable Chemistry with Industrial Experience
Year of graduation 2019

Your Time at the University

When finishing school, I knew I wanted to study a chemistry degree and I was really drawn to the variety that the chemistry degrees at Edinburgh has to offer, as well as the opportunity to study abroad or do an industrial placement. Edinburgh as a city itself is amazing, and I have so many great memories of exploring the city with my classmates/friends. I think most of us would move back in a heartbeat!

In the summer of 2018, I did a summer placement with Dr Stephen Thomas’s lab funded by a Carnegie Vacation Scholarship. This was a fantastic opportunity to strengthen my skills as a researcher before starting my final year project. I would really recommend undergraduate students look into funding opportunities to do a summer research placement as it is invaluable experience and you can get paid for it!

Hayley Russel

My final year project was with Dr Michael Cowley’s research group – working on air sensitive main group chemistry. This was really different to anything I’d done thus far, I really enjoyed learning how to do reactions under an inert atmosphere and the novelty of using a glovebox has never quite worn off.

During my time at university, I wrote for the Kirsop Labs blog which was a really good way to develop my writing and science communication skills. This was really helpful and a great talking point at job interviews.

Your Experiences Since Leaving the University

After finishing my degree, I moved from Edinburgh to Cambridge and began working as a publishing editor for the Royal Society of Chemistry. This was a fantastic job and gave me a lot of insight into the publishing industry. I worked as an editor on the journals Dalton Transactions, CrystEngComm, and New Journal of Chemistry. The job used my chemistry knowledge, but also drew on the writing and communication skills that I developed during my undergrad.

However, I felt like my job opportunities were limited in publishing without a PhD and so I decided to go back to university to study for a PhD. In January 2021, I started a PhD at the University of Strathclyde. It was great to be back in Scotland and my project combined synthetic chemistry with machine learning so I had a lot to learn!

Following the PhD, I then started working as a trainee patent attorney. I wanted to work as a patent attorney as I knew from my experience in publishing that I would enjoy a job that utilised chemistry knowledge, but also involved a lot of writing. To begin my training, I completed a PGCert in intellectual property law at Bournemouth University which I really enjoyed. There are a lot of exams to sit to become a fully qualified UK and European patent attorney but so far I have been really enjoying both the role and the challenge that the exams set. 

Alumni Wisdom

Just because something is a good opportunity, that doesn’t mean it’s the right opportunity for you. It’s easy to get swept up into the notion that we have to say yes to everything, to apply to every job but ultimately the things that have helped me the most professionally have been the things that have felt right. Don’t be afraid to be picky and to hold out for something that excites you. Follow your gut instinct and try to have as much fun as you can along the way.

There are so many amazing doors that have been opened for you as a result of studying chemistry. This kind of degree is useful in so many different fields so don’t be afraid to try out lots of different things until you find something that feels right for you. 

Further information

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