How to be an awesome chemist

We tend to think of role models as being something for kids (or, if you’re of a certain age, a ropey Paul Rudd comedy about live-action roleplaying). But pause for a moment and you’ll realise we never stop having them. Whether it’s setting a goal and working out how to get there, identifying with a person similar to you or just a thirst for pure inspiration, everyone is constantly aspiring to be like someone else. Recently, someone confided to me that they felt a little intimidated by the giants of the chemistry field, unable to ever reach their heady heights. It was probably imposter syndrome talking (see Chemistry World, June 2016, p68), but is scientific achievement really what we use for inspiration?