Placement year at Robinson Brothers - Ashley Baker

Ashley Baker is an MSci Chemistry student at the University of Birmingham and is currently one of the placement students at Robinson Brothers Limited.

His choice for the course came naturally, as he began to develop "a strong interest in chemistry whilst at secondary school, and decided that he wanted to pursue a career in science and research" from an early age.

As for the decision to do the placement year at Robinson Brothers Ltd, he reveals an aspect that was decisive: “the business specialises in synthetic organic chemistry, a field in that I am particularly interested”, confesses Ashley.

Currently, Ashley works as a research chemist, planning and carrying out experiments in the laboratory to develop synthetic routes for potential new products.

Ashley recognises: "I have learned so many things since starting my industrial placement, such as, how a research department functions, the important factors that need to be considered when scaling up a reaction from the lab to the manufacturing plant, and the number of different roles or disciplines that are involved in the operations of the business“.  

The Robinson Brothers R&D placement year student, who works within the new products team, admits he “would certainly recommend working at Robinson Brothers as an opportunity to gain professional experience” because it “has provided me with good insight into chemical manufacturing and introduced me to the process of scaling-up chemistry from the lab to production”, he states.

To future placement students, Ashley Baker advises "to approach your placement with an open mindset to make the most of this learning opportunity, enhance your scientific skills and develop an understanding of the chemical industry”.

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]