Chemist speaker from Astra-Zeneca

In the first week of the summer term, A-level chemistry students had a visit from Ruben, a young chemist who works for Astra-Zeneca. During his visit, he explained his career path to 1^st year students and discussed the A-levels and University course that he took which allowed him to reach his current position. He suggested ideas to consider when choosing a degree course and a university and briefly mentioned the types of careers some of his contemporaries have followed after taking science-based degrees. The different areas of research that Astra-Zeneca follow and how they develop new medicines was illustrated with an example, and he discussed the opportunities that exist for young people who follow science based careers.

Ruben then gave a talk to the second year students focussing on how a pharmaceutical organisation like Astra-Zeneca develops a new medicine from its initial screening of many different possible compounds, down to a single therapeutic compound, and the stages in turning this process from one where a fraction of a gram is prepared in a laboratory, into one which involves making it on an industrial scale. He used a case study to show how – although the compounds are much more complex than the substances studied at A-level - the essential chemistry remains the same.

The students reported finding the visit very interesting and informative, allowing them to see where A-level science can lead, and how the reactions studied at A-level are still extremely important beyond University.