Two months in and looking forward to the next sixteen!

 I’ve been at the Royal Society of Chemistry for about two months now and I’m really enjoying my first placement in the Science team. Between graduating and joining the RSC Graduate Trainee scheme, I’d spent two years working in Japan and one year working for an insurance company in the city. I was really excited when I found out I’d be working in science again and was looking forward to the new challenges I would face!

The Science team organise and support a broad range of activities to support the chemical science research community in sharing, creating and applying knowledge. The team is divided up into nine scientific divisions and I’m working on a number of different projects within a few of these divisions. I’m currently getting ready to launch a video competition aimed at highlighting the role of chemistry in addressing the global challenges faced in human health. I’ve also been getting a lot of experience of conducting telephone interviews for an exciting project I’m leading which is looking into the needs of physical chemists in electronic lab notebooks.

Like Geri, I’ve also had my share of university recruitment visits alongside my day to day work. It’s been great fun speaking with new and current members about all the benefits of membership at the RSC and the visits have been a really good way to brush up on my presentation skills as well as an opportunity to explore a few cities in the UK.

Since joining the RSC, I’ve found that there are loads of opportunities to get involved with things outside of the projects I work on. There are regular ‘Lunch and Learn’ events where different teams in the organisation give a talk at lunchtime about the work they do. I’ve also really enjoyed being in the squash ladder and found it has been a great way to meet staff from different parts of the organisation. Outside of work I’ve joined the Cambridge and Coleridge Athletic Club and have also started climbing with a few others from the RSC.

I’d only visited Cambridge once before I accepted the place on the graduate scheme (and that was for the assessment day!) and so I was a little apprehensive about leaving the hustle and bustle of London. However, since my first few days in Cambridge and on the graduate scheme I can honestly say that I’ve been in no doubt that I made the right decision and I’m really excited about what lies ahead!

Isobel is a Graduate currently working in the Science Team on the Royal Society of Chemistry's Graduate Scheme. To see if we are currently recruiting for the RSC Graduate Scheme click here