Can you introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your background?
I'm Anna Slater. I am a professor of chemistry and Royal Society University research fellow productor here at the University of Liverpool. I've been here since 2013, I joined as a post doc and then I started our research group at the end of 2016.
My first degree is in Chemistry, I have an integrated master’s from the University of Nottingham, I did a PhD there as well before moving to Liverpool and my area of research is in organic materials flow chemistry, autonomous optimisation and making materials better kind of thing. But we have an interdisciplinary team, chemical engineers, chemists, and materials scientists.
Why did you choose the University of Liverpool as your place of Work?
When I finished my first postdoc position at Nottingham, I was looking for opportunities in research that used my skills but also taught me some new ones. So, I've done a lot of super molecular self-assembly, small molecule synthesis and I wanted to branch out a little bit and I applied for several different jobs. I saw this job and so I did a postdoc with Andy Cooper, which was on organic cages. And I just thought it was such an interesting project. So really, I came here for the for the science in the first instance. I've never really been to Liverpool before as a city, but I thought, this is a really nice place. I really like the area and the atmosphere and had a really good conversation about the job and that's what brought me here, really. I didn't anticipate I would still be here 11 years later, but it's been a good place for our research and for our family.
What inspired you to choose Chemistry as your field of work?
I think I when I came to choose my A levels, I was interested in physical sciences because I really enjoy solving problems. I love Chemistry because of its interdisciplinary nature. You can work with so many different people in so many different backgrounds and fields of research, because I like developing tools to solve problems in new ways, and I think it's got a lot of that as well. But I think I would have been equally as happy in another area of maybe not even science, but it has got that right balance of variety, challenge and collaboration and opportunities to work with lots of different people.
Have there been any challenges that you've encountered during your research and how did you overcome them?
I'm a very in the moment person, so when I have had challenges, I work out what to do and then kind of move on. But I think becoming a new academic was quite a challenge in terms of working out how to go from a post doc where I've really been able to focus on research which was very cool and enjoyable had its own challenges, to okay now I have to have a whole load of different skills I have to learn like how to line manage, I have to learn how to shape a group's culture and that kind of thing. And that was and take on teaching and and develop my skills on education negotiation side of things I think it was quite a challenge. I think the way I normally approach the challenge is if I don't know how to do something, I really enjoy finding people who do and working with others. The less fun challenges have been just trying make sure that over wide variety of voices are heard in science. And that has been an interesting one, but again, something that requires people from lots of different backgrounds and perspectives to work together on, I would say.
What has been your biggest achievement during your career in chemistry and how did it make you feel?
Our research team, they are fantastic, getting everybody through COVID, that was a big challenge and I think that has they've just all done so, so well and getting PhD students all the way through to graduation where often it's not been something I've done but just giving small bits of guidance to help them on the way. That's been really, really rewarding. We won an RSC prize last year, for our work on using innovative techniques such as flow chemistry to solve problems in super molecular field and that is just such a recognition of their work, because it's not about what I do, it's about what they've done in their research. I think there's a lot of people in academia who don't make it very much about the individual, and it's never an individual, it's always a team
How important is working in a diverse and inclusive environment for you and why?
I think if we have a non-inclusive culture, then we are making people feel like we're isolating people, which is just morally wrong for a starting point. Why would we have a workplace that doesn't nurture the talent and the success of all the people within it. And if we have a monolithic culture, then we do not have as excellent a scientific output as we can, because, if you're not representative, then you must not be selecting the best you know. And for me particularly and disability and accessibility are important topics, for my own personal experiences, but also because it's easy to be accessible, you just must put the effort in, and it's about making sure that you're not putting barriers up for people to participate fully in a research environment.
How would you describe the current culture of inclusion within chemistry at the University of Liverpool?
I think it's important to ask that question of lots of different people because I think any individual’s perspective is valuable, but it's only even an individual perspective. I think there are lots of people who are trying to make it an inclusive and beneficial place to work but there are always ways that we could reflect and improve on how we are as a department and I think something that has been lost a little bit is community following particularly following COVID I think there's a lot of disengagement in certain areas and it would be fantastic if we all came back together a little bit.
Is there any advice you would offer to someone who is wanting to pursue a career in chemistry?
I think don't be afraid to ask for help even if you think somebody is extremely busy. The worst somebody can say is no, so I would just say go and ask that person never feel like you're bugging them in. Chemistry is an awesome subject and follow your curiosity and speak to lots of different people who use it in lots of different ways.
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