Five lessons from the career journey of an accidental chemist

I don’t tend to discuss my journey into chemistry because I am a bit embarrassed to admit why I chose it. I would like to tell an impassioned story about my light bulb moment, that burning desire and a vision of a future of scientific achievements that cemented my decision to take up chemistry. But, I cannot. All I can say is, it’s thanks to rum and my grandmother.

At school, I had always been interested in the sciences and when the time came to choose a university degree, my options were mathematics, botany, biology and chemistry. I wasn’t interested in a desk job so mathematics was out. I struck botany off the list because I couldn’t foresee a future career in the Philippines, where I am from. I didn’t want to be a medical doctor so biology – which inevitably led into medicine – was crossed out too. Chemistry won, therefore, by the process of elimination – or so I thought.

My choice wasn’t a surprise to my family because, according to my father, chemistry is in our genes. He says the first chemist in the family was my grandmother. He recounts the story of how she used to dilute the rum that my grandfather bought so he wouldn’t get tipsy so quickly. Her plan worked incredibly well until a guest brought a bottle that my grandfather decided to open straight away. When my grandfather took his first sip, he was astonished at how strong it was! My aunt, brother, sister and five cousins all later became chemists, so chemistry is obviously the dominant allele.