Celebrating the International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2019
Today is the International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2019 and to raise awareness, we will be profiling some of our female staff over the next month in the lead up to International Women’s Day on 8th March 2019.
Today’s profile is Taylor Ward, Laboratory Analyst at Eurofins | BLC Leather Technology Centre Ltd.
Meet Taylor
Taylor has a Masters Degree in Chemistry and has worked within chemistry for 1.5 years. She compiled her dissertation on Fluorine Chemistry which examined how a synthesised reagent could be used in PET (Photo Electron Therapy).
Taylor aspires to develop her career within chemistry by gaining experience in the laboratory to develop her technical understanding of methods, processes and laboratory equipment.
In her day-2-day role, Taylor enjoys testing materials for restricted substances, which forms an essential part of product safety for our customers. She carries out testing to quantify controlled chemistries such as formaldehyde using laboratory equipment such as a HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatography). As well as this, Taylor writes the test reports which are sent to customers around the world.
“The work I do is technical, but it’s made more enjoyable working with the Lab Team. We all get on well and I think that really helps...”
“I didn’t leave university thinking that I wanted a career in product safety, however my job does give me a good feeling and what I do helps to make products safer for people. When you’re shopping for a pair of shoes, you don’t always think about how they are tested. My job gives me a good work-life balance so at the weekends I have the time to travel and go to the gym.”
International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2019: Encouraging more women into the sector
In addition to raising awareness of the roles that women currently play in science, International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2019 is also designed to encourage women and girls to think about a career in the sector. Like a number of women currently working in scientific roles, Taylor has taken part in delivering an outreach programme through her university to encourage girls and young women to start their careers in science and technology. Her advice for women looking to start a career in chemistry is:
“Get experience in a laboratory if possible because it exposes you to all sorts of testing and equipment. You gain an understanding of how a scientific business operates too.”
“At school, it was my chemistry teacher who inspired me to start a career in science. He was very motivating and encouraged me through everything.”
Advocating Women in Science and Technology
Eurofins | BLC is an equal opportunities employer which advocates women in science. We have a few employment statistics to share with you about women in our company:
Did you know that 55% of the workforce at Eurofins | BLC are female?
And 58% of Managers at Eurofins | BLC are also female?
Are you looking for a career in science?
Eurofins | BLC regularly recruit for various roles in the laboratory and throughout the business. If you are interested in a career with us, keep an eye out for any vacancies on our Careers page.
11 February 2019