Profile
Billy Hicks
It's been great fun answering all your questions! I've learnt a lot and I hope you have too.
Curriculum Vitae
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Work History:
I did a placement year at the National Nuclear Laboratory while at uni, and now I’m at AstraZeneca
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Current Job:
Process Engineer
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Employer:
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals
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My Work
I’m a Process Engineer at AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals where I help to make new medicines and take their production from chemical reactions that can only be done in a lab to something that can be done in a manufacturing plant, so more people can be treated.
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The process to take new medicines from being discovered to being available for you when you are sick is quite long and there are a lot of important regulations to make sure they work properly. Biologists will identify a promising new drug and chemists will make it on a very small scale (they’ll make less then 1 gram!). I’m involved in taking that production method, which will include chemical reactions, separations, purification and many more processes, and scaling it up so that it produces hundreds of kilograms or even tonnes. That way there is enough for everyone. A lot of the medicine that I make is used for clinical trials and testing, to make sure that it is safe and really works.
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My Typical Day: Every day is different! I can be in the lab, on the plant or at my desk.
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Read more
In the lab I can do experiments to find out more about a process such as a chemical reaction. That way I can decide the best way for the reaction to be carried out in the manufacturing plant. Sometimes I will have to visit the plant to make sure that everything is going as it should and other times I will just be at my desk writing reports or helping chemists with any problems they might come to me with.
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What I'd do with the money
I never really knew what engineering was when I was at school, so I would really like to find some way to go to schools let everyone know exactly what an engineer can do!
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Curious, Silly, Excitable
What's the best thing you've done in your career?
I’ve only been working for a short amount of time but to be able to contribute to making new medicines that can cure illnesses and diseases is pretty cool!
What did you want to be after you left school?
I didn’t know what I wanted to be. I went in higher education doing the subjects I enjoyed and it’s lead me to a job I love!
Were you ever in trouble at school?
The only really naughty things I did were practical jokes. My favourite is setting my friends belongings in jelly! (which I still do now)
If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?
Probably something within sport. I love making things work as well as they can so possibly within research and development.
Who is your favourite singer or band?
I like most music, it normally depends on what mood I’m in or what I’m doing.
What's your favourite food?
CAKE! Everyone loves cake and I’m no exception.
What is the most fun thing you've done?
I ran the London Marathon a couple of years ago. It was absolutely incredible and so many people were cheering me on it made me feel like a celebrity!
Tell us a joke.
What time does Andy Murray go to bed??? Tennish!
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