Supporting the scientists of future generations

HydRegen is passionate about finding and supporting both new and developed scientists who are committed to reducing the environmental impact of chemical manufacturing. With a mission to enable companies across the chemicals sector to improve their energy and resource efficiency, and move towards a continuous manufacturing process, we are always looking for excellent scientists who can help us to achieve this.

This year we were excited to offer a three-month placement opportunity for a selected student to come and join the HydRegen team. That selected student was the lovely Zoe Sheaf. Zoe came to us from Newcastle University where she is currently studying for her PhD.

“Walking in to the HydRegen team was the breath of fresh air I hadn’t even realised I needed!” - Zoe

Here is what Zoe thought of her time with HydRegen…

I was introduced to HydRegen through a mentor at Newcastle University, who led my placement. She had previously spent time working alongside the management team and advocated for the scientific developments being made. Currently my PhD studies are very much focused around medicinal chemistry, so I was excited to broaden out my knowledge and experience by undertaking a placement that incorporated biology and chemistry.

Upon joining the team at HydRegen, I was instantly struck by how friendly and welcoming they all were. Doing a PhD is very independent, so you can often feel you are working on your own and it’s easy to get caught up in the smallest of details by forgetting to look at things from a different perspective. Walking in to the HydRegen team was the breath of fresh air I hadn’t even realised I needed!

By joining a smaller company, I was able to gain exposure to many different parts of the business and get involved in a broad range of activities. As well as working in the laboratory, I was helping with grant applications, writing content and implementing social media activities. Of course, the laboratory work was the biggest part of my placement, but it was a great experience getting involved in other elements that opened my eyes to what is really involved in running a successful business.

After being involved in academic research for a couple of years, my placement at HydRegen reminded me of the different possible ways of conducting scientific research, and it was interesting to learn the unique applications, processes and development techniques used at HydRegen. Understanding how industry projects are planned and implemented and the importance of commerciality is something I will utilise through my studies and future career.

Having gained so many skills and experiences from my placement at HydRegen, it would be difficult to list them all, but aside from the technical understanding of how biocatalysis can be applied more broadly, I have also gained a lot of personal development skills. Understanding how being part of a team can help drive you forward and developing a more goal orientated approach to thinking and project management can really help improve understanding and ultimately, confidence.

In addition to the technical knowledge and skills, I have also gained a new network of friends and colleagues at HydRegen who have been an integral part of my development journey. I will miss greatly the entire team as I return to Newcastle University to finish my PhD, but I return with a fresh new perspective and excitement for what I can achieve.

Thank you to all of the team at HydRegen for their time, patience and wisdom.