Read about what it's like to study at the School of Chemistry from our alumni, and find out what they have been doing since graduation. Grace Gubbay Since graduating from the BSc Chemistry degree programme in 2024, Grace has been exploring the intersection of science and finance through further studies to broaden her perspective on global sustainability challenges. Panos Kolyvakis After spending 8 years at the University completing his BSc and PhD in Chemistry, Panos went on to lecture in Environmental Engineering and has since pivoted to a career in Data Science. Lauren Byrne Drawn to Chemistry through a love of problem-solving and analysis, Lauren completed her BSc in 2022. Today, she applies her analytical skills to policy work to support others and advocate for a better care system. Tihana Stefanic Tihana graduated as part of the MChemPhys Class of 2024. Now a current PhD student at Oxford Engineering, Tihana is working on battery modelling and performance testing. Diduo Zhang Diduo deepened his interests in academic research through the MSc Medicinal and Biological Chemistry degree programme. Since graduating in 2021, he has moved to Canada to pursue a PhD in radiopharmaceuticals. Lesley Yellowlees Lesley chose to study Chemical Physics due to her love of Chemistry, Physics and Maths. Graduating with a PhD in 1983, she embarked on an academic career and has received prestigious awards for her outreach work. Robin McAlpine More than three decades on since graduating, Robin is still meeting with his Edinburgh Chemistry friends! The analytical skills that he developed during his BSc degree have continued to prove useful in unexpected ways. Tianyue Li Tianyue finished her PhD with the Robertson group in 2019. Today, Tianyue uses her communication skills to deliver impact in the field of renewable energy. Benjamin Arenas After graduating from the MChem degree programme in 2015, Ben went on to study for his PhD in Hamburg. He has since returned to the School of Chemistry as Lecturer in Physical Chemistry Education. Farjana Afroj Farjana was drawn to the MSc Medicinal and Biological Chemistry degree programme due to the cutting-edge research facilities in the School. Since graduating in 2019, she has continued her academic career in Bangladesh. Ian Bell Once Ian had completed both his undergraduate and PhD studies in Edinburgh, he took his first steps into a career in the petrochemical industry. Today, he is part of Afton Chemical, a global leader in petroleum additives. Nina Kinney Nina graduated from the BSc Chemical Physics degree programme in 2019. Today, she is a Cloud Scientist at the British Antarctic Survey, studying the substances that induce ice nucleation in the atmosphere over the Southern Oceans. Katarzyna Sokol As a student on the MChem degree programme, Katarzyna made the most of every opportunity, including studying abroad in Singapore. She is now Chief Technology Officer for a green hydrogen technology startup. Prince Chakanyuka Prince was one of six pioneer Mastercard Foundation scholars to study at the University of Edinburgh. From meeting royalty to competing in an entrepreneurship World Cup, Prince reflects on his days as a BSc Medicinal and Biological Chemistry student. David August Chemistry started as David's back-up option, but quickly became the centre of his research and career. Since finishing his PhD in 2016, he has returned to Edinburgh as Lecturer in Chemical Education. Sam Shand Sam came to Edinburgh from the Highlands and was the first in his family to get a degree. Since graduating from the MChem Medicinal and Biological Chemistry degree programme in 2015, he has trained and specialised in behavioural science. Branislav Viliam Hakala Viliam was able to access state-of-the-art facilities and travel around the globe during his Master of Science by Research. After graduating in 2019, he moved to Germany to continue his postgraduate studies. Simone Eizagirre Barker Simone's placement year in the Netherlands helped her to bring her research interest in photonics into focus. She has since continued her studies in Cambridge, exploring a variety of nanoscience-related topics. Finlay Clark Finlay enjoyed the creativity of research and stayed in Edinburgh after graduating from the MChem degree programme in 2021. His PhD research focusses on improving the speed and accuracy of computer calculations of drug binding affinities. William Murphy William graduated as part of the MChemPhys Class of 2005. After completing his postgraduate studies, he qualified as UK and European Patent Attorney. Later when family took him to Canada, he requalified as a Canadian Patent Agent. Elisabeth Feldstein Elisabeth decided to study abroad to seek adventure, independence, and opportunity. During her studies, she developed her technical knowledge, established the Edinburgh University Women in STEM Society and co-founded a start-up. Jingyi Ran Jingyi completed her MScR in 2017 and went on to pursue a PhD in Los Angeles. Since completing her postgraduate studies, she has worked as a battery testing and data engineer in Houston, Texas. Stuart Boyce Studying in Edinburgh opened up doors to many opportunities for Stuart, from embracing the role of Chemistry Society president to taking part in a summer placement in China and studying abroad in Munich. Hendra Agustian Hendra was a curriculum coordinator, and educational researcher in Indonesia and the Netherlands before studying for his PhD in Chemistry Education. Today, he is an assistant professor at the University of Copenhagen. Jifang Zhang Jifang came to the MSc Materials Chemistry programme from a chemical engineering background. The programme helped him to build a solid foundation for his later PhD and postdoctoral roles. Emma Jayne Rozgowska Emma completed both her MChem and PhD at the School of Chemistry. She has had a varied career since graduating in 2010, working as a teacher for 9 years then starting up her own skincare company. Nikola Zotev Nikola came to Edinburgh with a desire to combine his passions for both computers and chemistry. Through the MChemPhys programme and his PhD, he honed his critical thinking skills and developed creativity in approaching complex problems. 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. Evelina Venckute MSc Medicinal and Biological Chemistry 2020 Alethea Han BSc Chemistry 2016 Edmund Morris MSc Materials Chemistry 2019 Dipanjana Choudhury MSc Materials Chemistry 2018 Yi He MSc Medicinal and Biological Chemistry 2020 Yanqing Han MSc Medicinal and Biological Chemistry 2020 George Rudman MSc Materials Chemistry 2021 Sofia Lampitsi MSc Medicinal and Biological Chemistry 2019 Yichuan Zhang MSc Materials Chemistry, PhD 2014 and 2019 Sara Schmidt PhD in Chemistry, Masters in Medicinal and Biological Chemistry with Industrial Placement 2014 and 2019 Peter Blair BSc Chemical Physics, PhD Chemistry 1980 and 1984 Clinton Veale MSc Medicinal and Biological Chemistry 2010 Annabel Rae MScR Chemistry 2019 Vladimir Liubarsky Master of Chemistry with Materials Chemistry and Industrial Experience 2011 Stephen Wallace MChem Medicinal and Biological Chemistry with Industrial Experience 2008 Sifeng Gu MChem 2016 Sander van Kasteren Chemistry and Medicinal Chemistry 2001 Max Scherer Master of Chemical Physics 2017 Lauren Skedd Chemistry with Material Chemistry and Industrial Experience 2013 James Seale Master of Chemistry with Honours and Industrial Experience 2018 Jim Love BSc (Hons) Chemistry and PhD Organic Chemistry 1960 and 1963 Isabelle Meyle MChem Chemistry with Materials Chemistry with a Year Abroad 2016 Corrie Scott MChem Medicinal & Biological Chemistry with industrial experience 2019 Alisdair Page Industrial Chemistry with a Year in Industry 2003 Alan Masson B.Sc. (Hons) Chemistry 1966 This article was published on 2024-02-26