Emma Pewsey
Comment and careers editor, Chemistry World
One of the best things about being a materials scientist is that you’re a bit of everything: chemist, physicist, engineer – in some cases even a biologist. As a result, I’ve spent my career blending chameleon-like into all kind of situations.
My early dreams of winning a Nobel Prize were scuppered by choosing to do a PhD in corrosion science (which, let’s face it, is never going to be cool enough to win mainstream awards). The experiments were fun; writing and talking about science was more fun. Academic working culture as I understood it then – long, lonely hours striving to succeed on a competitive career path – was not fun at all.
As my project looked at the corrosion of metal implants inside the human body, I figured that qualified me as a biologist and entered a biomedical writing competition. I won, which triggered a series of fortunate events that led me to join the Features team of the open-access biology journal eLife in 2014. In my time there my interest moved away from the plain-language summaries of research I’d originally been employed to write, to various issues affecting research culture: open science, working conditions, support for early-career scientists (inside and outside academia), how to fix a system where you’re fortunate to get a permanent job before the age of 35.
In 2019 I joined Chemistry World as comment and careers editor, where I get to explore those topics – and much more! It’s nice to pretend to be a chemist again.
PodcastBench-stable butyllithium & secrets of Pompeii’s limescale
In this episode, we discuss the latest formulations designed to make a set of fiery reagents safer, explore what limescale can tell us about ancient civilizations and hear the latest headlines.
CareersIn times of strife, should you hold a work Christmas party?
Celebrations are important, even when redundancies and funding cuts mean many chemists aren’t in the festive mood
CareersStatements alone don’t make labs inclusive for disabled chemists
Leaders need to provide proactive support to disabled employees making adjustment requests
OpinionRobert Huber: ‘I call the last century the century of vision’
The Nobel laureate on the joys of entering a developing field, and the century of vision
CareersWhy we should stop venerating Nobel laureates
The winners of the Nobel prize in chemistry have all made mistakes – and that’s inspirational
CareersEmployees need freedom to choose how to work most effectively
This is especially important to ensure neurodiverse employees get the support they need
CareersThe additional costs of visas
On top of the financial expense, applications and renewals are slowing scientific progress and damaging researcher mental health
CareersEven in difficult times, leaders should inspire hope
Finding positives is a vital part of leadership
OpinionPonnadurai Ramasami: ‘You will learn more by going the more difficult way’
The trailblazing computational chemist on the joys of teaching, inaugurating a virtual conference, and the importance of doing things the hard way
CareersGood network connections help startup founders and employees to succeed
Career success is easier with help from others
CareersTime off for menstruation is a good idea. Period.
Menstrual leave can improve working conditions for all employees
CareersCultural changes need to stop PhD students working for free
Top-down support is needed to stop exploitative PhD practices
OpinionJon-Paul Griffiths: ‘Starting a small company is a phenomenal experience’
The chief technology officer of Oxeco on spinning out, supporting entrepreneurs and the difficulties of identifying a market
CareersNew UKRI terms do more to acknowledge the diversity of PhD researchers
But further stipend increases are needed to fully widen access to doctoral study
CareersKnowledge exchange will be vital for upskilling the chemistry workforce
To meet societal challenges, chemical scientists need more opportunities to learn across disciplines and sectors
OpinionCharlotte Williams: ‘Being an academic is a wonderful job’
The award-winning inorganic chemist on early environmental influences and a career spanning industry and academia
CareersFinancial challenges affect the health of UK chemistry
Maintaining a healthy chemistry pipeline requires affordable education and training routes
