Profile
Jessica Liley
It's the final day!! Thank you so much to everyone who voted me this far! Looking foward to the last online chat this afternoon :) keep asking lots of questions!
My CV
-
Education:
University of Oxford (2010-present), University of Bristol (2005-2009), Francis Holland School, London (1998-2005)
-
Qualifications:
MSci (undergraduate masters) in Chemistry, 4 A-Levels, 9 GCSEs
-
Work History:
Teaching in undergraduate labs, home tutoring for GCSE science and maths, bar work and waitressing while travelling around Australia!
-
Current Job:
PhD student… living the dream!
-
Read more
My work revolves around the use of surfactants (SURFace ACTive AgeNTS) – these are the detergents in your washing powder, shampoo, toothpaste, anything that gets foamy really. I am working towards using more environmentally-friendly detergents, which are produced by bacteria and yeast. The main technique I use is called Neutron Reflectivity – I fire a beam of neutrons at the molecules where the water/detergent mixture meets the air, to find out important information about them and hopefully help us find the perfect environmentally-friendly detergent mixture!
-
My Typical Day:
Experiments in the lab, tea, reading papers, meetings with supervisors, tea, a bit more lab work, home time!
-
Read more
Sometimes I get up early for a 6am rowing practice on the river, then I cycle to work to do a day of chemistry. Every day is different for me, but I’m usually working away in the lab for most of it! I split my time between my lab in Oxford, Ireland and France. One great thing about PhDs is the chances to do science in other interesting places.
Firstly, I need to grow the bacteria myself and then take out the bio-detergent that it makes. Some of these bacteria are pretty deadly and spread diseases so you have to be careful when using them. This is done at a university in Ireland and it used to take me about 6 weeks to make enough for my experiments, so there was always a bit of time for sight-seeing and surfing too!
Next, every few months, I get to do experiments at a huge research station called the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. I make up hundreds of colourless surfactant solutions and test them all by firing neutrons at them. The days are very long (up to 20 hours work every day!!) but they only last a few days, so I make the most of the time and do as many samples as possible.
When back in Oxford, I need to analyse my data and make lots of graphs, so that I can see how well the surfactants work and how we can improve on them and make them clean better.
On other days when I don’t have lab work to do, I’m often reading scientific papers in the office, writing presentations, chatting to my colleagues, or talking to my supervisors about how my work is going!
-
What I'd do with the prize money:
Buy some exciting new science equipment for an inner-city primary school which doesn’t have good science facilities
-
My Interview
-
How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Happy, adventurous, helpful
Were you ever in trouble at school?
Not really, I was a bit of a quiet kid!
Who is your favourite singer or band?
A bit of everything really, mumford and sons, chase and status, coldplay, Jay-Z…
What's your favourite food?
Macaroni cheese
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
I wish I could get up earlier, I wish I had the money to do a round-the-world trip, and I wish my hair was permanently straight!
Tell us a joke.
A neutron walks into a bar and asks, “How much for a drink?” The barman replies, “For you, no charge!”
-
Staffroom
Visit the 
'staffroom' during the event, the moderators will be here if you have a problem.
The room is staffed throughout event hours, 9-5 on weekdays, but please be patient if you don't get an immediate answer.
You can only use the chat if you are logged in.