Oliver Thomas
For Ollie, RSC membership has changed his career in many ways and he feels you'd be hard-pressed to find better value for money.
Position
PhD Student at University of Oxford
Specialism
Batteries
Member category
Associate Member (AMRSC)
Oliver Thomas, AMRSC - PhD Student at University of Oxford
Ollie talks us through how RSC membership has been there for every stage of his career so far. He covers how grants and funding have helped him, how membership has built his network and why he thinks others should join.
To someone considering RSC membership, I would say to think of it a bit like gym membership, but for your career. It's a community which allows you to build your skills, build your experience, but is also there to support you whilst you do it. You have personal trainers or career mentors who allow you to build your skills and give you the advice that you need.
"I'm working on developing next generation battery materials which are more sustainable. I spend about half my time in the lab doing experiments, making new materials, trying to understand the way that the materials perform, and then data analysis, writing it up and communicating the science that we do.
RSC membership has changed my career in many ways.
My first research experience as an undergraduate came as a result of an Undergraduate Research Bursary from the RSC. Then as a postgraduate, the first time I was able to present my research was at the Materials chemistry poster symposium, another RSC event. And all of these experiences have been formative in developing my career.
The most important difference that RSC membership has made for me is the network of people in different areas of chemistry that it's given me access to.
By volunteering with the RSC, going to RSC events, I've managed to build that professional network. I've managed to meet people who are able to highlight jobs for me and also gain a lot of experience that I wouldn't have otherwise gotten.
The benefit I've used most is the access to funding. Through an undergraduate research bursary, I was able to gain experience, which both informed my decision to pursue a PhD and gave me a wage over a summer.
I've also used the Researcher Development Grant to be able to attend conferences and present my work, which has had a big impact on my communication skills and allowing me to build my professional network.
One of the really lovely things is that there's funding available throughout my career stages.
I've also benefited from the RSC careers team helping me build a CV. And then throughout my career, the RSC's ability to provide headline information from across the chemical sciences has been really useful for me to maintain an awareness of the broader chemical landscape.
There are still several things which I hope to be able to benefit from the RSC membership, such as securing CChem and professional accreditation.
You also have access to the support networks. It's just as important that you have that network around you that can help you achieve your professional goals. Even if you are not making use of the immediate tangible benefits, you are making use of that network that it gives access to.
That support, that broader awareness of the chemical sciences community is so valuable.
I feel like you would be hard-pressed to find better value for money.
As an RSC member, I feel proud, I feel valued, and I feel seen.”