I decided to undertake a PhD in this particular area as I feel very strongly about waste and many of the misconceptions around it, particularly for plastics and the emerging bioplastics. The way these materials are developed, designed, used, and disposed of is changing and I wanted to be a part of that development. I decided to build on this passion as my undergraduate placement really opened my eyes to research and is what first had me consider a PhD.

Before my PhD I attained a master’s in Materials Engineering, also from Loughborough. I started on a bachelor's, somewhat unsure after leaving secondary school, but once I was comfortable I had made the correct choice, I was able to move up onto the master’s course to delve deeper. During my degree, I also secured a placement year with LKAB Minerals, a Swedish mining company, where I worked in research and development for fire retardants. This gave me invaluable experience of industrial research in the lab but also the office, the initial planning of business-relevant research and then reporting to senior managers.

I was very familiar with Loughborough and the opportunities afforded by being here. I was friendly with a number of PhD students and lecturers (supervisors) which helped me understand what research could be like. I had already searched for various PhD projects at different universities until I had one put forward to me, with funding, in an area I am passionate about. I knew I would enjoy continuing to be involved with activities at the University, so it made sense to make the most of it!