Profile

Photo:

Eleanor Merson

    • About Me:

      I live with my husband near Huddersfield.  I enjoy painting, going to the gym and raising money for charities with my local Rotary club.

    • Read more

      I am neurodiverse, and have realised that this gives me strengths in some areas, but weaknesses that I need to find ways around in other areas.  I love to cook, and collect cookbooks – one of my aims is to have one from every country in the UN, but given I only speak English, this can be challenging.

    • My pronouns are:

      She / Her

    • My Work:

      I manage a team of scientists who help companies that make things to be able to measure them better.

    • Read more

      I look after scientists who are trying to help robots to make things more accurately, use sensors on machines to help them work better, and measure parts without touching them.

    • My Typical Day:

      I wake up at 5:30 (I know, odd, but I like it!), go running, swimming or to the gym, get breakfast then start work about 8pm.  I spend a lot of time in meetings with companies to understand how we can help them, and talking to my scientists and finding solutions to their problems.  I have lunch about 12, then more meetings with customers and scientists, doing risk assessments, reading and writing reports and answering e mails.  I go home about 5:30 usually.

    • Read more

      My days are quite variable.  I often go to visit other scientists to see how we can share equipment or knowledge.

    • What I'd do with the prize money:

      I would create a series of mindmaps that describe what different scientists do, what they did at school to get to that job, what their days are like, and the best and worst things about their days.  I would use the money to give people with exciting jobs vouchers to help me with this.  I’m dyspraxic, I find text difficult.  A lot of people I work with have ADHD and hate video content.  Mindmaps are a good alternative.

    CV

    • Education:

      I went to a really small primary school – there were only 10 people in my class.  I went to Cheadle Hulme School for secondary and sixth form, then to University of Leeds.

    • Qualifications:

      I got 9 GCSEs, then I did A-levels in Physics, Chemistry and Maths.  I went to University to study Materials Science and Engineering, I got a Masters then a PhD.

    • Work History:

      I worked as a technologist for a couple of years to help companies to answer whatever questions they had about metals.  I then left and tried to run a pub for a few months, but realised I didn’t like it.

      I spent about 9 years designing drill bits for companies who make aeroplanes.  Because the material is so hard to drill, a lot of the time, we had to make the drills from diamond, so it was really important to get them right!

      I then spent time researching products to keep people safe – fire curtains, then safety barriers.

      I joined NPL about 2 years ago.

    • Current Job:

      I work for NPL as a Group Leader.  This involves being the manager of a group of scientists, making sure they all have the right amount of work to do, and are able to do it safely. We also spend a lot of time thinking about what things we should do in future, and planning how we could do the work.  I try to make sure we talk to other people working in the same area so that work isn’t getting repeated (unless we want it to be), because that is a waste of money.

    • Employer:

      I work for the National Physical Laboratory (NPL).  We help people measure all sorts of things – we tell people in the UK how long a meter is, and make sure a British meter is the same length as a Japanese or French metre.  We do the same for the second, and some other units.  We also measure lots of strange things that you might not think of as measurement – like how red is your tomato ketchup, and how shiny is your cats fur?

    • My Interview

      • How would you describe yourself in 3 words?

        Arty materials scientist

        What did you want to be after you left school?

        Since I was about 12, an engineer / scientist. Before that, it changed every week.

        Were you ever in trouble at school?

        Yes, usually for forgetting things and being late.

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

        Neuroscientist (scientist who understands how the brain works)

        Who is your favourite singer or band?

        I like musicals - my favourites are Les Miserables and Hamilton

        What's your favourite food?

        Roast beef dinner

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

        I wish I was talented at art, taller and able to fly (by flapping my arms - not in a plane).

        Tell us a joke.

        What do you get if you pour boiling water down a rabbit hole? Hot Cross Bunnies. (Please don't try this at home!)

Questions answered by Eleanor

No questions to show