Profile

Photo:

Arlene Skipper

    • About Me:

      I am originally from Ayrshire in Scotland but now living and working in south east England with my family. I have two beautiful girls (1 and 4). In my free time I enjoy travelling, drinking coffee, gardening and interior design.

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      If I wasn’t a scientist, i’d be an interior designer…. We are currently renovating our 1800s cottage. My head is always in pintrest or a good interior design TV program when i get 1 minutes break from my two girls.

      My other love is gardening, after moving home to have a larger garden, ive been working hard to build up our vegetable plot. I’m not the proud “plant mom” of some tomato’s, courgette, strawberries and some other juicy veg.

      Outside of the day to day, I enjoy travelling and immersing myself in different cultures. My two favourite countries i’ve visited to date are Vietnam and Slovenia.

      I am also currently working on my chartership to become a chartered chemist (CChem) by Feb/March 2026.

    • My pronouns are:

      She/Her

    • My Work:

      I research sustainable solutions to reduce pollution and clean the air in the automotive industry by reducing the amount of emission gases that come from vehicle exhaust systems.

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      I lead the “Global analytical standards” team.  We are a small team,  responsible for making sure our laboratories across the globe are working in the same way. I also implement new ideas and improvements across the labs to make sure we are continuing to remain at the forefront of innovation and are providing the analytical expertise to understand our products which will ultimately reduce emissions across the globe.

      My team provide a lot of training and structure to the labs  as well as come up with improvements and strategy to work towards over the longer term. We do a lot of data processing and decision making based on large data sets. Another key aspect of my role is project management.

       

       

    • My Typical Day:

      My typical day is usually mainly meetings. I work from home typically 3-4 days a week with 1-2 days in the office.

      I spend most of my time on MS Teams discussing with people all over the world projects to simplify and improve ways of working. These can be meetings with directors to gain their sponsorship for the projects or with individuals working in the laboratory to explore their ideas.

      I am responsible for a team of 3 scientists and so i have management responsibility for them, i catch up with them frequently throughout the week in the form of individual meetings and various team meetings to understand their work load and help over come barriers they are facing.

      I do alot of project admin work (project management) where i track progress, share stakeholder updates and escalate issues requiring attention.

    • What I'd do with the prize money:

      I would work with the RSC to ensure we can fulfil this prize money to reach the most students going forward.

    CV

    • Education:

      I attended school in Scotland where i achieved my Standard Grades (GCSEs) and Highers (A-Levels).

      I then went to Strathclyde University where I studied form my Masters in Analytical Chemistry (MChem).

    • Qualifications:

      Scottish Higher level qualifications (A-Levels): Biology – A,  Chemistry -A, Mathematics -A, English – B, Computing -B, Classical Studies – C.

      Degree: Masters in Analytical Chemistry (MChem) from Strathclyde university – 2:1

    • Work History:

      Throughout my career I have worked various roles at two companies:

      GlaxoSmithKline (GSK):

      1. Industrial Placement Student: Materials Science
      2. Contractor – Physical Properties Analyst
      3. Materials Scientist (Subject Matter Expert)
      4. Process Analytical Technology (PAT) Engineer

       

      Johnson Matthey (JM):

      1. Senior Chemist (Analytical)
      2. Senior Chemist (Global analytical standards)
      3. Global Analytical Standards Lead Specialist

    • Current Job:

      Global Analytical Standards Lead Specialist.

    • Employer:

      Johnson Matthey (JM)

    • My Interview

      • How would you describe yourself in 3 words?

        Planet-loving, coffee-drinking, Chemist

        What did you want to be after you left school?

        Cosmetic Scientist

        Were you ever in trouble at school?

        No

        If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?

        Interior Designer

        Who is your favourite singer or band?

        Ben Howard

        What's your favourite food?

        Aubergine parmigiana

        If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!

        Health and happiness for myself and family, To live nearer to the coast, Someone to keep my house clean and tidy!

        Tell us a joke.

        How much room does fungi take to grow? ..... As mushroom as possible.

Questions answered by Arlene

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