Richard Lock

Name

Richard Lock

Job Title

Research Chemist

Company

Innospec

Richard Lock is a research chemist for Innospec and has been with the company for 1½ years. We asked Richard a range of questions to find out what he liked at school, his career path so far and what advice he would give to anyone making decisions about their careers. Here's what he said.

What is your educational background?

I got 9 GCSE's, 3 A levels in Biology, Chemistry and Maths, I then when to Canterbury when I got a BSc in Biochemistry, followed by an MSc in Analytical chemistry at the University of Manchester

What subjects did you like at school?

At school I enjoyed chemistry and playing rugby

Who influenced your decision making?

I have always been a strong minded person and knew from an early age that I wanted to work within science, but I received help from my tutors on the best ways to achieve this, with the full support from my parents

What has been your career path so far?

I first graduated in 2003 and took employment with LGC working in BSE testing, I left them after two years as I wanted a role that was more challenging so I moved to Innospec within the fuels specialty section where I am currently working the cold flow properties of diesel.

What would a typical day contain for you?

These are very varied and depends on the current project, basically thought half my day in spent in a lab trying out new things and gaining information that we can use, the second part involves data analysis and understanding what I have seen in the lab. I also get out of the office about once a month and attend training courses and relevant seminars.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

I enjoy the variety, each day is a new challenge, also the freedom I do report to my line manager but this is on average once a week so my days are mine to plan.

What skills are important in your job?

The ability to plan and meet deadlines with little supervision, Also flexiable thinking in such that you cannot be disheartened if a new idea goes wrong, just learn from the results.

What are your main responsibilities?

At present my main responsibilities are the identification of cold flow problems in diesel fuel. This includes the use of analytical equipment as well as bespoke equipment on site

What training (on & off the job) has helped you perform your role or progress?

The best training on the job was a set on introductory seminars which gave an understanding of the company's motivations which helped in knowing what they wanted from me. Of the job a TV program called rough science on BBC 2 as this got me thinking of ways to solve problems with the tools around me. Back to basics ..

Why did you choose a career in the industry?

As mush as I would have like to stay in academia I found that you could loose touch with the real world, so R&D with industry lets you do both think but not become blinded to the world at large

What advice would you give to someone considering their career?

Make sure it is what you want to do, so find out what motivates you, be that money or stress free living. I have found I job I enjoy and I can earn money for that. That's the best feeling don't get me wrong I have bad days we all do but on the whole its like being in a school lab again just with targets. Remember we have at least 40 years of work so you had better like it.