Placement year at Robinson Brothers - Aiden Kalirai

Aiden Kalirai is a University of Birmingham student attending a BSc in Biochemistry course currently working at Robinson Brothers Limited, within the scope of the placement year programme.

In secondary school, he always found Biology and Chemistry to be the two more fascinating subjects. So, it seemed the perfect combination when picking a course for University Biochemistry.

He chose to apply for the placement year program at Robinson Brothers due to his interest in Organic Chemistry, his favourite part of Chemistry. Therefore, it seemed a fantastic opportunity to get industrial and laboratory experience in a professional environment.

Currently working within the Research and Development department, he performs laboratory experiments and writes reports. He also makes weekly presentations on his project progress. He participates in meetings with customers, where he can see how communication occurs between the R&D team and the customer.

Months after starting the placement year at Robinson Brothers, Aiden reflects on the knowledge he has acquired in his industrial experience so far and shares "just because something can work well, in theory, doesn’t mean it can be used in a practical setting. Certain things must be considered, such as materials costs, the ability to scale up to a pilot plant or production scale, waste disposal and the product specification".

Aiden recommends other students to join the Robinson Brothers for their placement year because in his own words: "by joining Robinson Brothers you will be with a great support team who will teach you techniques and give you the knowledge you can't get unless you are in an industry setting", and he gives them a piece of advice "don't be afraid to fail or get things wrong, the industry is very different to university so there is a lot that you won't know and can learn at Robinson Brothers".

Dr James Burford (New Products Manager) adds that all of our placement students show significant developments in their laboratory techniques and confidence over the twelve months they are with us, which is invaluable for their future careers.

Careers at Robinson Brothers
New Industrial placement opportunities will begin in 2023. In the meantime, take some time to view our current job vacancies in Engineering, Customer Services, Research & Development, and Production.

Click here to view our latest vacancies

About Us
Robinson Brothers is an award-winning UK chemical manufacturer of speciality & fine chemicals and rubber accelerators. Our team of Chemists are experts in custom synthesis, contract manufacture and process optimisation. This experience has led us to become a reliable supplier to organisations; serving the Pharmaceutical, Medical Devices, Toys, Footwear, Veterinary, Agrochemical, Automotive, Electronics and material sciences industries as well as many others. Click here to learn more.

Robinson Brothers Group acquired Endeavour Speciality Chemicals in 2008.

Robinson Brothers Limited | West Midlands | B70 0AH UK
T: +44 (0)121 553 2451
E: [email protected]