Ever since I discovered a chemistry set in my grandparent’s garage (one of those dodgy ones from the 1950s that would give health and safety people a nervous breakdown), I was hooked on science.

Thanks to memorable and inspirational science teachers, I decided to pursue a science career and obtained a Master’s in Medicinal Chemistry from the University of Manchester. My next stop was the beautiful city of Durham in north east England, where I completed a PhD in synthetic organic chemistry at Durham University.

Like many students, I tutored whilst at university and found it immensely rewarding, which made me consider teaching as a career. However, after completing my PhD, I co-founded a chemistry and engineering company that I eventually went on to lead. My company helped chemical and pharmaceutical companies (including Pfizer, GSK and Sigma-Aldrich) improve their processes and this demanding but rewarding role gave me invaluable experience of business. It also taught me how science and engineering are used in industry through projects that ranged from improving organic synthesis to optimising distillation.

This background makes me somewhat unique as a teacher, in that I can teach science from real-world experience, not just from theory.

Having experienced the satisfaction of helping students achieve their target grades as a part-time tutor, I decided to formally train as a teacher, completing a PGCE in secondary chemistry from Newcastle University and qualifying as a teacher. After teaching in secondary schools and 6th form colleges, I decided to leave the classroom and establish a full-time tutoring business so that I could focus more on my students and less on administration. I am now one of the UK’s leading online tutors, with around 5,500 hours’ tuition delivered to students in 22 countries (and counting!)

When I’m not teaching, I enjoy playing the piano, blogging, and cooking Japanese food.