Profile
Andrew McDowall
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About Me:
Full time chemist, part time history and mythology buff and former backswordsman with a taste for cheese and bad habit of idle dreaming.
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I’m an industrial chemist living in a small town just south of Cambridge with a view over the town to the fields beyond. It gives me the chance to dream I’m back home on the farm and is a place I can potter, wonder, walk and daydream. A little bit stuck in the 90’s – 1990s, 1890s, 1790s, 1590s, 1090s, 590s, pretty much any 90s. I used to do Traditional English Martial Arts, coming 4th in the East of England championship, until I discovered the joys of idleness and developed an interest in other arts instead – purely consuming of course, I can’t hold a note or draw a straight line.
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My Work:
I work in the development of new catalytic converters for vehicles, reducing the air pollution caused.
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My work is in measurement development – looking at what it is about our products and processes that needs to be measured, but isn’t, or is measured but not well enough, to make the greatest amount of product of the highest quality with the least waste.
I also help colleagues with more unusual types of measurements and in working out what the results of those measurements mean to them and their work.
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My Typical Day:
I wake up around 7am and, after the usual things, walk to work, starting around 8.30am. I’ll work in either the lab or the office (I like to mix the two, I’m far t0o restless and easily bored) until lunch with colleagues, then back to the lab and office until 5pm, when I’ll walk home. The evening is spent preparing and eating supper then relaxing with books, TV or the computer until a bit later than is good me, then off to bed.
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I wake up around 7am and, after the usual things, walk to work. I spent too long driving too and from work or studies around Edinburgh so love being able to walk to work, experiencing the changing weather and seasons and getting my mind ready for the day ahead. I’ll start around 8.30am by preparing the plan for the day. Then I’ll open my instant messages and scrap the plan and prepare The Plan for the day. Then I’ll open my e-mails and scrap The Plan and write Definitely The Plan for the day, which I’ll then forget about or ignore. I’ll work in either the lab or the office (I like to mix the two, I’m far t0o restless and easily bored) on a mixture of solving the problems of and supporting colleagues in our factories around the world; measuring and analysing experimental results for my own and other’s projects; helping out with training; looking after the labs and the people given to me to care for them; or maybe doing some the training for myself. Lunch is with colleagues in our staff canteen – the food is basic, but hot, plentiful and free and it’s a great way of getting to know your colleagues better. Then back to the lab and office until 5pm, when I’ll walk home, setting my mind at ease and relaxing in preparation for the evening. The evening is spent preparing and eating supper then relaxing with books, TV or the computer until a bit later than is good me, then off to bed.
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What I'd do with the prize money:
Decline it. I’m a Scientist do a far better job of promoting STEM than anything else I do.
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Education:
When I was younger my father moved between farming jobs often, so I went to a number of primary schools, ending up in a village east of Edinburgh and going the village school there. I went to secondary school in Edinburgh, called Stewart’s Melville College. I stayed in the city to go to university at Heriot-Watt, and remained there after my undergraduate course to study for my doctorate. I liked the city and the university. The city was home and the university green, open with everything I needed there.
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Qualifications:
Standard Grades in English, Maths, French, Geography, Economics, Chemistry, Physics and Biology.
Higher Grades in English, Maths, Chemistry, Physics and Economics
CSYS in Chemistry, Physics and Maths I
BSc (Hon.) 1st class in Chemistry
PhD in Solid State Chemistry “Intercalcation compounds of molybdenum sulphide and related phases” -
Work History:
Seasonal agricultural labourer (1986/87? to 1996)
Garage attendant (1997)
Summer research student – borane chemistry (1998)
Summer research student – supersaturation measurement (1999)2003 to now:
Chemist II; then Coordinator; then Senior Chemist; and now Senior Process Analytical Specialist in
Johnson Matthey Emission Control Technologies;
Johnson Matthey Environmental Catalyst Technologies
and Johnson Matthey Clean Air
(actually all the same place, we just change the name every few years) -
Current Job:
Senior Chemist at Johnson Matthey, involved in development and improvement of Production Analytics – making testing quicker, cheaper, easier and more effective to reduce manufacturing costs and failures, leading to fewer wasted resources.
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Employer:
Johndon Matthey, a global leader in sustainable technologies. For over 200 years we’ve used advanced metals chemistry to tackle the world’s biggest challenges.
Many of the world’s leading energy, chemicals and automotive companies depend on our technology and expertise to decarbonise, reduce harmful emissions and improve their sustainability.
And now, as the world faces the challenges of climate change, energy supply and resource scarcity, we’re actively providing solutions for our customers. Through inspiring science and continued innovation, we’re catalysing the net zero transition for millions of people every day.
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Helpful dreaming cynic
What did you want to be after you left school?
Mostly employed, but not too much.
Were you ever in trouble at school?
Maybe.....
If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?
Decorative Hermit sounds ideal, at least in summer.
Who is your favourite singer or band?
This week, Aghiazma. Next week, someone else.
What's your favourite food?
Cold tangy raspberry sorbet on a hot day.
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
To lead a good life (whatever that is), to be happy (however you define that), to be remembered well afterwards,
Tell us a joke.
What do old angels die of? Harp Attacks.
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