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Jennie Martin

    • About Me:

      Hey, I’m Jennie. I live in Southampton in the south of England, but I grew up in a small town in East Yorkshire. When I’m not working, I like to go out and explore nearby places and see what new things I can find. I also like making models and love watching ice-hockey (and a lot of other TV!)

    • My pronouns are:

      She/Her

    • How does my work involve computers?:

      I write and use python code to predict crystal structures. I also use a lot of existing chemistry-based computer software to perform steps of my calculations or explore and visualise results. Some of my work needs a lot of computer time and fancy hardware, so sometimes I’ll write code that is carried out on big supercomputers that are shared by researchers in different places

    • My Work:

      I’m a computational chemist – we work with computers to model what we’re researching. My work predicts how the molecules in a material pack together

    • Read more

      The topic I research is called molecular crystal structure prediction. Molecular crystals are what we get when molecules pack together in regular patterns to make a solid, like sugar crystals for example!

      We use computers, with a lot of code and maths going on, to predict what the likely crystal structures of a molecule are and I work on developing and improving the methods to do that.

      If we can predict the crystal structures, that’s good because the structure might affect the properties, so we can try and see what materials will be useful or not!

    • My Typical Day:

      I wake up, then after a lot of time-wasting, I’ll get up and get ready for work and head to the office.

      Throughout the day I’ll probably do a bit of coding, look over my results, and write about my research.  I’ll usually have to spend time working out how to fix the mistakes in my work too! At some point, I’ll be sure to fit in a coffee break with colleagues.

      Then it’s hometime. I might go meet a friend or I might head home, make tea, and relax for the evening

    • Read more

      There’s a lot of different tasks that I can have, and often my time is very unstructured and self-directed. So I move from task to task mostly when I want, so long as I remember to try and get everything done (That’s the hard bit!)

      Sometimes, I’ll have science papers to read to learn more about what other scientists on the same topic are doing, and see if I can get any tips and ideas from them. And I might have meetings with my colleagues too, which helps us all to solve problems in our work.

      Occassionally, I’ll have other jobs to do, like organising the meetings or helping to teach undergraduate students.

       

       

    • What I'd do with the prize money:

      I’d like to make and share some mini games to help teach the principles of crystal structure and molecular packing, and show the kind of steps computers would use to work out crystal structures.

      The money could help with resources and with getting it out there! Such as perhaps a website, or posters, and some objects for physical games (big model molecules could be fun!)

       

    CV

    • Education:

      I first went to primary school in my hometown in Yorkshire, then went to Woldgate School and Sixth Form College in the same town, to study for my GCSEs and A-Levels. (The whole school was just called Woldgate College back then!)

      Then, I moved up to St Andrews in Scotland to study at the University of St Andrews to get a degree in Chemistry with Maths

      Then, finally, I moved all the way down south to the University of Southampton to study a PhD in Chemistry

    • Qualifications:

      2012-2014 GCSEs:  Studied Maths, Chemistry, Physics, Biology, English Language, English Literature, Art, Media Studies, History, Religious Education

      2014-2016 A-Levels: Maths (A*), Chemistry (A*), Psychology (A) & an AS (B) In English Literature

      2016-2021 University: MChem Chemistry with Maths  – University of St Andrews

      2021-2025 Postgraduate: PhD Chemistry – University of Southampton

    • Work History:

      Jun 2020- Aug 2020 Research Assistant (Internship) – University of St Andrews

      Oct 2023-Dec 2023 Postgraduate Teaching Assistant – University of Southampton

      Oct 2021-Mar 2025 PhD Student – University of Southampton

    • Current Job:

      Postdoctoral Researcher at the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at the Univeristy of Southampton

    • Employer:

      University of Southampton

    • My Interview

      • How would you describe yourself in 3 words?

        coding crystal guesser

        What did you want to be after you left school?

        By the time I finished A-levels I wanted to try being a scientist, but I had lots of different dream job plans growing up including author, chef, and even outdoor skills expert

        Were you ever in trouble at school?

        I was usually pretty good, but sometimes I'd forget stuff, and I'd definitely get told off for making too many sarcastic/smart aleck comments

        If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?

        That's hard to pick! I'd maybe like to work in a bookshop or learn a trade

        Who is your favourite singer or band?

        The Rasmus

        What's your favourite food?

        Pasta. All the types, all the sauces. But the more cheese the better

        If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!

        worry less, travel and have some cool experiences , and get a pet St Bernard!

        Tell us a joke.

        I'd tell you a chemistry joke, but all the good ones argon

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