Meet Jamie, our new addition to the Dandelions team!
Jamie Dale is a Material Chemist who graduated from the University of Sydney with a double degree in Chemistry and International Relations.
Why did you choose to be a chemist? Which field and why?
Hi, I'm Jamie Dale, a Material Chemist who was lucky enough to be welcomed into the Dandelions team this year!
Not surprising to my family, who are all die-hard science nerds, I have always known I wanted to pursue a career in STEM. I was never sure what that looked like nor did I know what field I wanted to go into.
Funnily enough, Chemistry was one of my lowest subjects by the end of high school which had made me believe there was no way I could survive University. However, I still chose to pursue my biggest interests and studied for a double degree in Chemistry and International Relations.
To my surprise, and through many chaotic late nights in the library, I achieved more than I ever did in high school. This gave me time to take a breath and actually see pursuing Chemistry as a real option.
It wasn't until my third year that I really saw a flicker of a future in my love for Material Science and Chemical Physics. After reaching out to my favorite Professors and discussing their projects, it really cemented that this was the field I wanted to work in.
Best and worst thing about your field?
Chemistry has always felt so amazingly mind-boggling because it answers so many questions that I never would have even thought of. It's also constantly finding new problems within itself which are even harder to answer (so lots of fun). But even through the torturous times of studying Organic Chemistry, I've always thought it was pretty cool.Although, it has definitely made me regret my choice at times.
Despite my love for all the wacky stuff Chemistry throws at you, the practical side of this field forces you to fail a lot. It's defeating at first but it all just becomes an encouragement to try to achieve impossibly perfect results every time.
10 years from now, what do you think would be the best thing to work on?
In time, I want my work to be able to help make a real change in the world. I've already learned through my short time at Dandelions that there are many more ways to do this than I had imagined and so I am really excited to see how my work can contribute to society.
Best thing about working at Dandelions? Or just first impressions!
I have only been with Dandelions less than a month but even after the first few weeks, and my communications with Brian Lim over the past year, I know that the best part is definitely the team. They are extremely supportive, both with me pursuing honors as well as providing an amazingly social and encouraging environment. With their attitude and work ethic, they will make some amazing changes in this world.
If you were to give one piece of advice to a person in school who wanted to pursue science, what would it be?
There is so much I could possibly dump into this answer but for me, the biggest help was following one rule: do your best so you don't regret it.
This can seem like a stressful statement but to me, it meant two things:
1. Don't give up on what you ENJOY
Finding a career to support yourself is important but it doesn't mean sacrificing your interests for a mind-numbing job that you hate.
2. Do the best for your CAPACITY
As in, put in that last hour of work because you know that you can but also apply this to all other aspects of life. Meaning you are putting the same effort into seeing your friends and having a healthy life balance.
Thank you so much Jamie! You are super welcome and we are really excited about the skill set you bring to the table!
