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The Chemistry of a PhD

The Chemistry of a PhD

Ramblings of a Drug Discovery PhD student who should really be in the lab or writing her thesis.

Tag: organic chemistry

Posted on June 22, 2020June 29, 2020

What was I asked during my medicinal chemistry viva?

One of the most useful ways I prepared for my viva was by asking people who worked on similar PhD projects about their vivas and what they were asked. Below is a detailed but non-exhaustive list of questions and concepts I vaguely remember talking about during my viva. I hope it is useful as a …

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Posted on June 15, 2020June 13, 2020

Cross Stitching a Chemistry A-Z

I’ve been dabbling in various creative projects during UK lockdown to pass the time. This little project was inspired by embroidery Science A-Zs created by Lauren/@stitching_hew and Breann Abernathy/@biochemist.b on Instagram. Fiona holding up her finished A-Z cross stitch on an A5 panel of material Every morning (roughly!) in May, I asked my Instagram followers …

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Posted on December 10, 2018December 10, 2018

Reflections on second year

This is my last week in the lab of 2018. It’s only really four days because we're having our group’s Christmas party on Friday (laser quest and pub lunch) and then I’m at a conference on Monday before taking the rest of the week off before Christmas. Towards the end of first year I wrote …

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Posted on November 26, 2018November 26, 2018

Chemistry PhD: A Day in the Life

I find people’s routines really interesting. Everybody’s different. Some people are early birds while others are night owls. Some people work long hours and others manage to fit a lot of work into a short period of time. In this post I chat about what a typical day looks like for me and the various …

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Posted on November 19, 2018November 19, 2018

How do I know I’ve made the right molecule?

I spend my days in a chemistry lab making drug-like molecules. A lot of these end up being small quantities (less than 0.1 g!) and usually have the appearance of a white/off-white powder. Occasionally I get a colour which is very exciting. The question a non-chemist might ask is “how do you know you’ve made …

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About me

Hi there! Thank you for visiting my blog. My name is Fiona Scott.

In 2020, during Covid-19 lockdown, I finished a PhD degree I had carried out at University of Sussex, UK. My project involved making drug-like molecules for targeting a process we don’t fully understand yet.

I enjoyed sharing the highs and lows of PhD life on this blog and my instagram account. You can now follow my writing adventures at fionascottwrites.com.

 

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Recent Posts

  • How I secured an ideal post-PhD job during lockdown September 4, 2020
  • Software and Apps that helped me during my PhD June 29, 2020
  • What was I asked during my medicinal chemistry viva? June 22, 2020
  • Cross Stitching a Chemistry A-Z June 15, 2020
  • Finishing my PhD in lockdown June 12, 2020
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