Profile

My main job is to characterise contaminants found within the production process/ sent via customer complaints and to identify where they may have come from. My area of expertese is within chemical imaging – which is basically fancy photography techniques to see very small things! This can include x-raying samples to look inside them .

I consult with customers to discuss what their issue is and what the best way to analyse the samples would be. I also have to discuss the priority of the project with them and then prioritise based on other projects i have on at the time to provide them with a realistic deadline.

I then analyse the sample – whether this be using spectroscopic techniques to get a chemical identity or use chemical imaging techniques to look at the sample.

I write up my findings into a scientific report and present this to the customer/ department concerned. This is sometimes the most dificult stage as 90% of my customers have no scientific background.