QAEHS in Focus shines the spotlight on QAEHS staff and students to showcase the expertise and talent within our Centre
How long have you worked at QAEHS?
I started working at QAEHS around 1 and a half years ago.
How do you explain your job to people?
I try to figure out what happens to chemicals after we use them: like from cleaning products, medicines, or industry. Some of them can stick around in the environment for a really long time or end up in our water. So I use computer algorithms and data to predict which ones might be a problem, even before they cause issues. It’s kind of like being an environmental detective, using chemistry and machine learning to help keep our water and ecosystems safe.
What is your favourite thing about working at QAEHS?
I really like the mix of different people and cultures working here. I have learned so much from others since starting here. I also like the flexibility I have of approaching my project in whatever way I can come up with and the support I have from my supervisors.
What is something you learned in the last week?
I have learned which chemical structures we can teach a computer to use when determining if a chemical will break down easily in the environment or persist for a long time.
What has been your career path that led to your current position at QAEHS?
My career path has been straight forward. I did a Bachelor’s in analytical chemistry focused on training to be a lab technician in industry. During this time and through internships I figured out that I did not enjoy the jobs I could apply for, which would not have included much research or creative thinking. I therefore did a master’s degree in analytical chemistry in Amsterdam. I really enjoyed all the courses but developed a deep interest in the chemometrics and statistics courses. I then did a project which led to writing a paper together with some people at QAEHS which is when my supervisor suggested I apply for a PhD at QAEHS.
What research are you working on now?
Right now, I am trying to build a model that can take as input a chemical identifier and predict whether it will be biodegradable in the environment or not. I am also working on making another model which will allow us to predict it without having the chemical identifier, using only the lab measurement data.
What is your favourite movie?
I think it is impossible to name a single best movie for me. It would be between Gladiator, The Dark Knight, or The Lord of The Rings: The Return of the King.
Random fact you would like to share about yourself.
I always wanted to become a fighter pilot and was really close to starting a bachelor’s in aerospace engineering until I decided to check out the lab on the open day a half hour before they closed, and in that moment realised what I really wanted to do with my life.
