Victoria Atkinson
Following on from two generations of chemists, perhaps my choice to pursue the same path was inevitable. My childhood was full of home experiments, from the classic bicarb volcano to growing copper sulphate crystals on the window ledge!
I studied chemistry at the University of Oxford and completed my fourth-year master’s project working on catalytic methodology with Darren Dixon (which excitingly led to my first publication). Having caught the research bug, I decided to continue on to do a PhD, this time joining Jeremy Robertson to work on a total synthesis project, employing enzymatic methodology to produce agrochemical products.
Towards the end of my PhD, I found that I was enjoying talking about science much more than actually doing it and I became heavily involved in science outreach. Here I could share my enthusiasm for science with younger students through practical workshops and school visits, something which I always found very fulfilling. Later, I focused on developing new outreach material and have since made the transition to science journalism.
CareersHow taking part in extracurricular activities during your PhD can help you build your CV
Opportunities to take part in teaching, event organisation and outreach all develop valuable skills
NewsBeyond hydrogen bonding: new definitions for secondary bonding interactions to end confusion
The 20-year struggle to define secondary bonding interactions
NewsDisappointing AI judgment could have a ‘catastrophic effect’ on UK science
Warnings that loose legal definitions in case could also threaten innovation in chemistry
ResearchDesigner ylide transfers single carbon atoms
Single-atom carbon transfer reagent provides the latest breakthrough in skeletal editing
ResearchElectrochemical reaction outcomes controlled by customised AC waveforms
Programmed alternating currents allow researchers to choose between reaction mechanisms with the flick of a switch
ResearchRedox-fluid ligand stabilised as triradical for the first time
Complex with unusual spin state has implications for single-molecule magnets
ResearchFrom pollutant to painkiller: hazardous halogenated wastes become a safe chlorine source
Persistent pollutants can be used to produce painkillers
ResearchSimplified hydroformylation replaces rhodium with base metal
Bench-friendly asymmetric hydroformylation swaps toxic gas and expensive catalyst for cheap reagents and mild conditions
ResearchHow A-level chemistry solved the 200-year-old problem with the haloform reaction
Mechanistic analysis reveals unknown steps in undergraduate staple, the haloform reaction
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Five tips for optimising your taste of academic or industrial workplaces
CareersSummer students act as an important catalyst for research
Investing in undergraduate projects advances science and develops future researchers
ArticleWater microdroplet chemistry enables catalyst-free Diels–Alder reaction
‘Quasi-benzyne’ radical drives exotic reactivity
News‘It’s an efficient machine to destroy nuclear waste’: nuclear future powered by thorium beckons
Thorium nuclear reactors could consume nuclear waste and provide power without the risk of nuclear weapon proliferation
ResearchCould mechanochemistry have saved Abbott Laboratories $250 million?
Ball milling solves problem of disappearing ritonavir polymorph
ResearchDebate surrounding amorphous selenium’s structure rumbles on
New evidence suggests that amorphous selenium forms eight-membered rings, but some researchers believe the results are inconclusive
ResearchUnique polymer can switch from rigid cutlery to an adhesive to malleable plastic
Process that mimics tempering of metals can even be reversed in multi-use plastic
ResearchClever cathode design opens doors to first rechargeable calcium battery
Rejigging redox chemistry overcomes some limitations of calcium batteries but they remain a long way from the market