Changing lives

Chemistry’s good for our health

There are so many areas of human and animal health – developing medicines, cutting air pollution, working in antibiotic resistance, progressing medical devices and prosthetics – in which chemistry plays a vital role, prolonging and improving life.

  • Photo of computational chemist, Richard Lonsdale

    Scientific leader

    Richard uses digital technologies to design and select compounds for new medicines.

  • Layla is smiling and there are trees in the background.

    Co-founder and machine learning lead of tech startup Ignota Labs

    Layla builds cutting-edge AI algorithms that improve the drug discovery process by exposing unsafe medicines early on

  • University of Nottingham, Tyler Harvey-Cowlishaw

    University laboratory technician apprentice

    Tyler carries out experiments linked to covid-19 reseach and lung diseases

  • claire4

    Bioanalytical scientist

    Claire’s work involves stress testing new medicines in various stages of drug development to ensure they are robust and reliable before being released onto the consumer market

  • Tilly_still2

    Analytical chemist

    Tilly does research on human breath samples to potentially diagnose conditions like asthma and infectious diseases including cancer

  • Holly_2

    Associate scientist, pharmaceuticals

    Holly develops new medicines at a global pharmaceutical company, AstraZeneca alongside completing her degree apprenticeship

  • Lewis_still

    Research assistant

    Lewis contributes to cutting-edge scientific research using specialist equipment to potentially diagnose diseases like cancer sooner

  • Lewis smiling at the camera.

    Bionanotechnology PhD student

    Lewis is researching cutting edge ways to improve the treatment of diseases of the colon

  • Erin Maciejewski working in a lab.

    Process chemist – higher apprentice, pharmaceuticals

    Erin helps turn new medicines into finished products so that they can be mass-produced for patients.

  • Forensic toxicologist

    Forensic toxicologist

    Calum helps ensure public safety through the toxicological testing of everyday items like food, cosmetics, electronics, medicines and textiles to ensure they are safe to use and consume

  • Nanotoxicologist

    Nanotoxicologist

    Vicki examines how tiny nanomaterials present in everyday products such as medicine, electronics and clothing interact with our bodies to ensure they are safe to use or consume

  • John Woodland sitting at his desk with surrounding equipment

    Medicinal chemist

    John explains how he’s changing lives by designing and synthesising potential medicine for infectious diseases like malaria

  • MediSieve’s Chief Technology Officer, Dr Cristina Blanco-Andujar

    Chief technology officer

    Cristina helps develop technology that could change lives by extracting disease from the body

  • Autosampler of NMR spectrometer loaded with samples for analysis. Institute of Organic and Biochemistry Academy of Sciences the Czech Republic

    Scientific associate, NMR spectroscopy

    Christopher uses NMR to identify the structure of new and unknown chemical compounds to support the development of new medicines

  • A conceptual image showing evidence for a case

    Forensic scientist

    Joni investigates biological samples for the presence of drugs and alcohol and also examines evidence seized by the police

  • Photo of white powder spilling out of a drug capsule

    Advanced apprentice, forensics

    Jamie describes what it’s like to work alongside scientists to deliver a service that supports the criminal justice system

  • Coloured pills and capsules

    Associate researcher, pharmaceuticals

    Discover how you can change people’s lives as a chemist supervising the making of active ingredients in medicines

  • Illustration of a sample of blood, labelled 'doping'

    Assistant analyst, drug control centre

    Nicola describes how chemistry enabled her to play a vital part as an assistant analyst in the anti-doping laboratory for the Olympic Games

  • EiC317 - Feature - New Drugs - Hero

    Director of medicinal chemistry

    Find out what’s involved in leading a team of 30 scientists who are researching new medicines

  • Image of Jason Hyde

    Senior director of chip research

    Jason talks about his team’s important work on a platform that allows scientists to sequence DNA wherever they are and uncover viral outbreaks, or identify new species.

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