Meet Jack - our newest team member
We asked Jack to introduce himself and tell us about why he chose to study Chemistry, what brought him to HydRegen and what he’s learnt in his first month.
We love what he wrote and think it will resonate with anyone in their final year at University!
By Jack Allman
Hello, I’m Jack, and I am the latest addition to the HydRegen R&D team. I started at the company as a Product Development Specialist at the beginning of September, and in this article, I will talk about my transition from university to the workplace, as well as what I have learnt in and out of the lab.
A Bit More About My Background
I started my time at Swansea University in September 2016 and originally opted to study engineering, which I chose rather immaturely without considering whether it was my vocation. As I moved through university, I realised that for me to stay happy and motivated, I needed to be doing something that I really enjoyed and was passionate about, and that’s why after two years of studying engineering, I transferred over to chemistry.
Three years later, after I graduated, I frantically started searching for jobs, shortlisting anything that had a modicum of chemistry or lab work involved. However, drawing on the lesson I learnt from studying the wrong university course, I had to remind myself that I should only apply to jobs that I would enjoy doing. During my final year at university, I was fortunate enough to be given a fascinating research project, centred around medicinal and synthetic organic chemistry. As part of the dissertation, I designed and carried out novel synthetic routes, which often led to some incredibly interesting outcomes. The thrill of designing something new and seeing it work grabbed hold of me, and from then, I knew that I wanted to work in research and development.
What Brought Me Here
When I happened upon the advert for this role, I was intrigued about HydRegen’s technology and the potential it has to revolutionise the world of industrial chemistry. In light of the current climate crisis, I, as all humans should be, am passionate about sustainability. So, applying for this job was an opportunity that I could not pass up on, as it marries an exciting research opportunity with an ethos surrounding the preservation of our planet.
Aside from the opportunity to be involved in research that can benefit the environment, another motivation for applying for this job was the fact that it is a recent spinout company. It was made clear in the job description that this would not be a one-dynamic lab based job, and would require me to take up many different roles. To some, this could maybe sound daunting, but I feel that it is a huge opportunity to grow as not only a scientist, but as an employee and a person as well.
My Time at HydRegen So Far
Starting a job is almost always nerve-wracking, no matter who you are, but my nerves were almost instantly settled when I realised how supportive the working environment is here. As soon as I started the job, CEO Dr. Holly Reeve, and CSO Dr. Sarah Cleary were absolutely brilliant at making me feel welcome and valued as a member of the company. For example, whilst waiting to move into a new house nearby, Holly and Sarah have allowed me to work flexibly, where I come into the lab three days a week, and work from home twice a week. Putting measures like this in place has been a huge help to me, and is a real reflection on their personalities.
In my first few weeks in the lab, I have been making some carbon-supported catalyst systems, and carrying out analyses on a number of different samples, all with the support of Sarah, who has been training me up and answering any questions or queries that I have had. It is different work to what I have been used to at university, which worried me a bit during the opening week and a half, however with the continued support of my colleagues, I feel that I am starting to get the hang of things. Over the next few weeks, I will be tasked with more challenging procedures, which is incredibly exciting, and I know that Sarah and Holly will be on hand to help with whatever I need.
CHEM UK 2021
For our first HydRegen outing together, Holly, Sarah, our chairman Dr. William Barton OBE and I all visited the NEC in Birmingham to attend CHEMUK 2021, a two day convention that hosted a wide range of exhibits and talks related to industrial chemistry.
My previous chemistry experience was very basic, where I carried out small scale batch processes, with product yield and purity being the benchmark of success. The knowledge I took away from CHEMUK built upon what I learnt throughout my studies, and that there are many more issues to consider, one of which is scalability.
I was aware that specialty chemical companies and pharmaceutical companies wouldn’t conduct large scale reactions in a 25 mL round-bottomed flask, however, the size of some of the reactors and equipment shown at the convention really took me by surprise. The scale at which some companies work at really dawned on me whilst conversing with the scientists at the ‘Zaiput Flow Technologies’ exhibit. Here at HydRegen, we currently use the Thales Nano H-Cube® Mini for our flow chemistry R&D, which has a maximum flow rate of 3 mL/min. However, ‘Zaiput Flow Technologies’ are currently bringing out an inline flow separation system which has a maximum flow rate of 40 L/min, over 13,000 times higher than that of the H-Cube Mini, and 1,600 times higher than the highest performing H-Cube. This shows just how much continuous flow technologies are progressing, so although we are currently working at a smaller scale than some other companies, it is encouraging to know that these devices are out there and that we can grow into them when the time is right.
Despite the almost daunting scale at which we could one day be working at, it is imperative not to look past what is in front of us. We should remain fully focused on the reactions and processes we are doing now, whilst potentially having scalability at the back of our mind.
What’s Next
After a positive start at HydRegen, I am looking forward to learning more about the biotechnology here, and cementing that knowledge so that I can become an expert in what I have been doing. This understanding of the science will allow me to offer informed opinions on how we can improve the HydRegen products. As time goes on, I hope to continue my learning and take on more responsibilities outside of the lab, so that I can become a real asset in helping to drive the company forwards, in whatever area that may be.
And why did we chose Jack?
We were impressed with Jacks ability to apply his undergraduate experiences to a new area of science, as well as his clear passion for his research experience to date.
Jack told us that he really wants to become an expert in a technology, using it over and over again.… well that sounds exactly like prototyping!
Once he’s happy, he wants to train others and expand the scope of the technology… ideal for a company with high growth potential!