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Rodney Foo (above), Chemical Engineering, PhD, Bath 2006. Joined Johnson Matthey's Technology Centre in 2006.
'Although Johnson Matthey had part-sponsored my PhD I was still pleasantly surprised (shocked to be honest) when the company offered me a job, initially on a short term contract as a research scientist in the field of automotive catalysts. This was an excellent opportunity for me as I preferred an R&D role but driven by real practical applications with a focus on aiding the environment which was what Johnson Matthey offered me.
The pace of the research and development of automotive catalysts at Johnson Matthey was staggering which still astounds me now. After a year or so I had helped develop the next generation automotive catalysts, filed new patents, met various suppliers and travelled to the US and around Europe. I also got involved in a different EU sponsored project that brought together various European industrial and academic partners working on something which was related but new to me. More importantly, I probably learnt more in the relatively short time at Johnson Matthey than I did in both my undergraduate and PhD studies whilst also having a laugh. I think of working at Johnson Matthey as having the best of both the worlds; the industrial resources and application driven along with the flexibility and innovation of a university type research / environment. I may not become a multi-millionaire but I have a good work life balance.
I stayed with Johnson Matthey as opposed to the 'traditional' large oil companies that chemical engineers flock to that dwarf Johnson Matthey. This was because not only does Johnson Matthey have the vast resources of the global company that it is but also offers a more intimate working environment where everybody counts as an individual. From the start, I received challenging objectives with tight deadlines but the means of achieving that goal were generally up to me, little to no hand holding here. There is also a strong team element at Johnson Matthey, where we all help each other out on our respective projects with fortnightly review meetings that are also a great opportunity to indirectly work on topics outside from our specialist area.
Furthermore, I recently started to attend the Group Business Training Course where I was exposed to the other numerous activities that the company is involved with and it was great to meet and socialise with colleagues from different sites. I am confident if I did want to move on to something new, Johnson Matthey is able to offer it both in terms of the job role and various global locations; fingers crossed for F1 test driver in Barbados!'
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