Tamsin Durrant

My Graduate Story

My name is Tamsin Durrant and I studied MSci Chemistry graduating in 2020. I am a Supervisor at Thermo Fisher Scientific.

I work in the Speciality Diagnostics group, developing testing kits for different types of blood cancers and immune disorders.

I first got a job as a technician at The Binding Site before I applied for a job as a chemistry specialist. After two years I progressed to a supervisor.

My role is a mixture of office and laboratory work. Some of my favourite days are running workshops, mentoring the team through their experiment design or presenting to senior leaders. 

My Birmingham Experience

The course materials are still relevant to what I do today, although I benefitted the most from everything I did around that! For example, being a student representative and ambassador helped me build those social skills that really support you in the workplace.

Birmingham is renowned for its research and where you can get the best of both worlds. You're on a nice communal campus and yet close to the city centre. 

During the summer between my third and fourth year, I did an internship in the School of Chemistry working with a group of PhD students. It helped build my skills working in a laboratory environment, working towards deadlines, and most importantly, helped me decide what I enjoyed doing!

Another internship that I was involved in was during the development of the CTL laboratories. I produced training materials and videos which has helped me now day to day when I am teaching and mentoring my team.

Advice for Students

Birmingham is where you can reinvent yourself. There are so many opportunities you can explore to support you in becoming a well-rounded individual. 

I really enjoyed my time at Birmingham and would recommend you come to an open day. Try a few different courses. See how it feels to you. If you get the feeling you can see yourself living here, studying here, that's how you know its the place for you!