Tara McKernan: Wastewater treatment scientific officer

Tara was always curious; like her father, a mechanic, she wanted to find out how and why things worked the way they did. ‘When I was at primary school, I loved reading about the planets in our solar system and their different atmospheres and orbits,’ Tara says. Noticing the kind of books Tara was borrowing from the local library, her mother bought her a scientific encyclopaedia. ‘Since then, I’ve been hooked. I used to sit and read it for hours!’ Fascinated by elements and experiments, chemistry became one of her favourite subjects.

Inspired by her A-level science teacher, Tara decided to study biological sciences at Queen’s University Belfast. However, she wanted her degree to be as wide ranging as possible and also attended some chemistry modules. Tara enjoyed seeing the theory she studied in her lectures come to life in the laboratory. ‘I especially liked any experiments where there were changes in physical states, colour or appearance, and learning about how and why they happen,’ Tara says.