Pride in Chem

Clara is a thin film material scientist, specialising in thin film superconductors for quantum and fusion applications. Clara is a PDRA in the Centre for Applied Superconductivity at Oxford University, Dean for E&D at Linacre College and the Institute of Physics’ Representative to Council for Inclusion and Diversity. Clara won a Points of Light award for her voluntary work from the Prime Minister in 2017.

Josh is a UKRI Future Leaders Fellow and Associate Professor in Materials Chemistry at the University of Birmingham. Josh leads a research group studying ion conductors and catalysts for the synthesis and decomposition of ammonia, for which he was awarded the RSC Environment, Sustainability and Energy Early Career Prize in 2023. Josh moved to the UK from Australia in 2010 to undertake his doctoral studies at the University of Oxford. Imagining a four-year stay in the UK, life and opportunity intervened and he stayed in the UK for a postdoctoral position at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and a Junior Research Fellowship at St John's College, University of Oxford. Josh has always been motivated in science by environmental concerns, and so when outside the lab can be found in green spaces and looking out for local birdlife.

Nessa Carson received their Master’s degrees in synthesis and catalysis from Oxford University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Nessa started out as a synthetic chemist for AMRI, then moved within the company to run the high-throughput automation facility for Eli Lilly in Windlesham, working across discovery and process chemistry, then in high-throughput reaction optimization at Pfizer and then Syngenta. Nessa moved to AstraZeneca in 2022 as Digital Champion, focussing on digital transformation and making life easier for scientists, and currently works in the Predictive Science, Digital, and Automation team. Nessa has been awarded the Salters' Institute Centenary Award for early-career chemists with the potential to make an outstanding long-term contribution to industrial chemistry.