Dr Rebecca Jones

This week’s Throwback Thursday is former student Dr Rebecca Jones who is now a Teaching Fellow in Inorganic Chemistry at Imperial College London

Rebecca, who attended The Deanery High School recently contacted us through our alumni network to share her experience with current students.

Rebecca told us:

I attended The Deanery C of E High School before moving on to Winstanley where I studied from 2013-2015.

I took A-levels in Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics and Geography. During my time at college, I also participated in science debating club and several trips, including a Geography trip to Italy to visit Naples, Pompeii and Vesuvius and Stromboli (an island which is a live volcano!).

After Winstanley, I went to Imperial College London to study for a master’s degree (MSci) in Chemistry [with research abroad]. This course was four years long (2015-2019) and I spent my final year in the US at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Here I did a research project for which I won a departmental prize! After coming back to the UK, I studied for a DPhil at the University of Oxford (2019-2023). During this time, I was associated with Balliol College. After completing my doctoral studies, I moved back to Imperial College London where I am now a Teaching Fellow in Inorganic Chemistry.

I am now a Teaching Fellow in Inorganic Chemistry at Imperial College London. This means that I give lectures, workshops and tutorials to the undergraduate students in most areas of inorganic chemistry. I also demonstrate in the teaching laboratories and am involved with outreach activities.

My future plans are to work with the student population to improve the teaching materials and methods at the university. This may involve designing new laboratory experiments and interactive lectures. I am also keen to promote the need for women in STEM and to improve access to education for those from more disadvantaged backgrounds.

Winstanley is fantastic - it is a place where you can learn, grow and flourish! The academic support is excellent, and it really does spur you on and enable you to unlock your potential. I wouldn’t hesitate to point someone in the direction of the college. My advice to current students is make sure you are choosing your options for the right reasons. Prioritise the things that are important to you – one of which should be the content of the course that you will be following.’