Emily Mather
Country: UK
A-levels: Chemistry, maths and physics. Biology (AS-level)
University: University of Cambridge, UK
I wanted to be an engineer from a relatively young age. I wasn’t sure what sort of engineer I would be, but I loved science and maths so I studied chemistry, maths and physics at A-level with biology at AS-level.
It was the practical side of engineering that appealed to me. When I was 16 I had done work experience at a power station and had met chemical engineers. They were on the site and their work seemed to be a good mix of technical and practical duties. I think it was that period which really made me think about chemical engineering more seriously.
Studying at Cambridge
I studied chemical engineering at the
University of Cambridge
, UK. At Cambridge, the first year of the course is general engineering so my options were still open. However I knew that I wanted to work in a big plant and I was less keen on the idea of doing a design job or being sat behind a desk all day.
I did consider mechanical engineering at one stage but although the course looked interesting the jobs didn’t seem to be nearly as exciting.
My first job
I joined
Tate and Lyle
in 2009 and spent one year training where I developed an understanding of what operators do on a day-to-day basis. There was lots of information to take in over a relatively short period of time but I really enjoyed myself.
Every week is different; in fact every day is different! There is always lots of project work and trouble-shooting going on. I am now doing lots of work looking at the way in which we use our energy and how we can reduce our energy usage across the entire site.
I’m also looking at how we use water and whether we can cut down on the amount we use. That’s in the early stages right now so I’m really just monitoring where we are now and how much we currently use.
If you’re thinking about a career in chemical engineering, I’d strongly suggest that you study chemistry, physics and maths at A-level. If you can also do further maths too, it will serve you well.
Chemical engineering is fun. It’s hands-on and all about identifying problems and coming up with technical solutions.