{"id":15039,"date":"2026-05-05T17:47:18","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T16:47:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.chemicalukexpo.com\/?p=15039"},"modified":"2026-05-05T17:49:12","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T16:49:12","slug":"speaker-spotlight-aoife-mcdaid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chemicalukexpo.com\/speaker-spotlight-aoife-mcdaid\/","title":{"rendered":"Speaker Spotlight – Aoife McDaid"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Speaker Spotlight\u00a0<\/h3>

Aoife McDaid, WSP<\/h4>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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What will you be speaking about at CHEMUK, and why is this topic important right now?<\/strong><\/p>


At CHEMUK, I\u2019ll be speaking about the career options available to chemistry graduates other then lab-based roles and opportunities in academia. I\u2019ll talk about my own experience as a graduate and the pathway I took to become a regulatory consultant.<\/p>

This topic is important right now as whilst the chemical industry continues to be a major employer and contributor to the global market, graduates are often unaware of the role that regulation plays. I hope to discuss ways we can promote a career in chemistry, beyond the lab.<\/p>

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Where do you see the main opportunities for innovation or growth in the sector?<\/strong><\/p>

As we, as a population, learn more about the chemicals we use in our everyday lives, focus has shifted towards finding more sustainable solutions. With more news outlets and articles reporting on the challenges faced by the chemical industry, our future workforce needs to be prepared not only with solutions, but consideration of the footprint we\u2019ll leave behind for generations to come. <\/p>

Future chemists, and scientists alike, will need to create innovative solutions to address the concerns of today\u2019s society. Regulation and sustainable practices will only gain momentum as we recognise their value in safeguarding both ourselves and the environment.<\/p>

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What is one practical insight or takeaway you hope CHEMUK visitors will gain from your session?<\/strong><\/p>

I hope to inspire graduates to look beyond the lab when searching for a career and recognise the wide range of career opportunities as STEM background presents. As someone who learned a lot on the job, I\u2019d love for employers and education institutions to understand how we can raise the profile of graduate careers in chemistry.<\/p>

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If you could fly to any country tomorrow, where would you go and why?<\/strong><\/p>

As a keen explorer, I\u2019d love to travel more of Africa. I want to visit Nambia and travel along the coast, taking in the amazing scenery on the dunes and maybe even sandboard!<\/p>

What\u2019s the best piece of advice you\u2019ve ever received?
When I was nervous to start university and make friends in a new city, my dad told me to just by myself. That way, any connections I made would be authentic, and I\u2019d know that my friends enjoyed my company and liked me for who I am, rather than who I thought they wanted me to be.<\/p>

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What\u2019s one thing you\u2019re passionate about outside of work?<\/strong><\/p>

I\u2019m really passionate about travelling. I\u2019ve recently taken myself on some solo trips around Europe and have even travelled to southern Africa! I loved seeing new places and immersing myself in new cultures, particularly the local food.<\/p>

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If you could switch lives with someone for a day, who would it be?<\/strong><\/p>

I\u2019d switch places with Claudia Winkleman, but when they were filming Celebrity traitors, just so I could interact with everyone and host the challenges!<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Aoife McDaid highlights the importance of expanding career awareness for chemistry graduates, encouraging them to explore opportunities beyond traditional lab roles while emphasising the growing impact of regulation and sustainability in the industry.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1563,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"Speaker Spotlight - Aoife McDaid","_seopress_titles_desc":"Aoife McDaid highlights the importance of expanding career awareness for chemistry graduates, encouraging them to explore opportunities beyond traditional lab roles while emphasising the growing impact of regulation and sustainability in the industry.","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"edition":[],"class_list":["post-15039","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chemicalukexpo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15039","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chemicalukexpo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chemicalukexpo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chemicalukexpo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1563"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chemicalukexpo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15039"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.chemicalukexpo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15039\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15088,"href":"https:\/\/www.chemicalukexpo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15039\/revisions\/15088"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chemicalukexpo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15039"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chemicalukexpo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15039"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chemicalukexpo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15039"},{"taxonomy":"edition","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chemicalukexpo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/edition?post=15039"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}