Development chemist, printing and inks

I found the only thing that kept me excited and really motivated to go into work was working with chemistry and in a lab. I think its really important to work in a job where you’re always excited and looking forward to the next challenge.

My name is Mariam and I studied chemistry and molecular physics at university. I currently work as a development chemist for Domino Printing Sciences. 

Domino Printing Sciences are experts in coding and marking requirements. We make inks and we make printers which allow our customers to print labels, to print best before dates on their products. So this could be anything from make-up to your favourite drink even to eggs. As a chemist, I work on the ink side of things, so this means that I go to the lab and I make ink formulations. Getting the right formulation is essential. We need to make sure that our inks have the best colour that it can get, that it flows as we expect and of course we need it to dry properly. 

Printing on food packing is really important because if you are allergic to let’s say nuts that’s in your favourite chocolate spread and you can’t eat it, then our printers and our inks allow our customers to print on that product to let you know what is safe and what isn’t safe for you to eat. 

I like my job because I get to do different things. I could be in lab one day, I could be writing technical reports the next day or I could be using my other time to develop my programming skills. 

In my job things don’t always work out as you’d hope they would but when you do get to a really good solution, it’s really rewarding. You can find our labels and codes on your favourite drink, your favourite food and even on planes and cars. Chances are you’re looking at a screen that has a Domino code on it. Without our codes they probably wouldn’t be able to function.

I’m really proud to be a chemist. I feel really valued at work and I feel that I make a difference.

First published 2020