Profile

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Veselina Georgieva

    • About Me:

      I live with my husband in Reading but I have lived previously in France, Scotland and North England and I am coming from Bulgaria. I love swimming and every time I see the sea I am very happy. I love photography and travel.

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      I was born in Bulgaria where I have lived for about 20 years. There I have graduated from school, university and fell in love with my husband. I have been part of the ERASMUS program, available for exchange students in Europe. I have been awarded this scholarship and went to France for 1 year. From several good candidates, I have been given the opportunity to do a PhD in the same laboratory in France. After I have defended my PhD, I was unemployed for one year. I have lived there for 5 years in total. Being without a job made me a stronger person and I was able to find a postdoc position at the University of St Andrews, Scotland.  I fall in love with Scotland and I gained a lot of experience in science and research. At the end of my PostDoc (3 years in total) I have been offered a paternity replacement position at Johnson Matthey near Newcastle. This was only 6 months post. I didn’t have certainly but went to an interview and I have been offered my current permanent job in Reading. During all of these moving and life-changing situations, my husband was all the time with me. He is my biggest support.

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      I am working on the catalyst that is present in a diesel car, I am trying to make them better, have a longer life and are less dangerous for the environment. I am preparing these catalysts, testing them, characterising them and thus trying to understand fundamentally how we can make them better.

    • My Typical Day:

      I wake up and have a cup of tea and watch some TV shows. I get to work at 8 am, where I do lots of experiments and tests in the lab. Then I have lunch with friends, and in the afternoon it’s back to the lab to look at my results. I go home at 5 pm. I go out for a run and later make some dinner with my husband.

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      I wake up quite difficult at around 7 am and then I make myself a cup of tea that is made of herbs. I watch some TV shows which are about vampires and the supernatural. Then, I put myself on makeup, clothes and drive to work for about 10-15 min. I do lots of experiments and tests in the lab during the day. I have a lot of meetings, presentations and reports as well. After a long day, I go home and rest or go out for a run with my headphones. This helps me put my thoughts in order. In the evening I cook with my husband and me then we watch TV reality shows like Survior. We have a cup of tea with peace of chocolate and then go to bed.

    • What I'd do with the prize money:

      I would give them to families that don’t have access to school education for their kids or they don’t have money for their clothes.

    My CV

    • Education:

      School – Number 24 in my neighbourhood – from age 7 to 14. Then National School for Science – 5 years.

      University – Sofia University – bachelor and master for 5 years

      University of Caen, France – doctorate (PhD)

       

    • Qualifications:

      These are very different in my country of origin. After 12 years at school, I have a bachelor’s degree qualification – Teacher in chemistry and informatics. Master degree- Material Chemist and PhD degree in chemistry

    • Work History:

      During my university years, I have worked as a shop assistant. I was selling clothes, shoes and toys for kids. After my PhD, I have worked 3 years at the University of St Andrews as a researcher in material chemistry.

    • Current Job:

      Currently, I am a Research scientist in a big company that wants to make the world cleaner and healthier.

    • My Interview

      • How would you describe yourself in 3 words?

        sea-lover chemist researcher

        What did you want to be after you left school?

        A teacher

        Were you ever in trouble at school?

        No

        Who is your favourite singer or band?

        Adele

        What's your favourite food?

        Chips made by cheese

        If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!

        To have kids, house and happy life.

        Tell us a joke.

        The teacher is asking a student: John, tell me honestly, who wrote your homework?. He replies: "Ma'am, I honestly don't know! I went to bed early

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