The future is looking bright for chemist Danny Molyneux who, aged 26, is getting hands-on experience in a company on the cusp of growth.
Molyneux, who lives in Inverurie, told us about his job at Aberdeen-based Aubin.
He was recently promoted to senior product development chemist at the firm.
“This includes meeting clients to discuss their requirements for a product and how it will be used, researching what kind of chemistry will achieve the desired result and designing and testing various different formulations,” he said.
“Once the product has been developed, I supervise the scaling up of production from laboratory-sized samples to quantities of several tonnes and if I’m lucky I get to go to see the product in action when the client uses it.
“It’s really interesting work, I don’t know of any other companies that offer products similar to Aubin.”
Why did you choose your career in the oil and gas industry?
“I did a Master of Chemistry degree at the University of Aberdeen and was initially interested in renewables but felt it would be foolish to shut the door to oil and gas.”
Who or what has influenced you most in your career to date?
“Getting the job with Aubin after graduating has been the biggest influence on my career so far.
“The opportunities I’ve been given since joining the company have been fantastic. Rather than always being in the lab I was encouraged get involved wherever I could and I had the opportunity to work closely with clients from the start.
In January I was lucky enough to go to Brazil to demonstrate the gel that I developed to a client which could have really big implications for Aubin – it’s great to know the work I’m doing can have such a positive effect.”
Where do you see your career going?
“It’s a really exciting time at Aubin just now, with so many potentially game-changing products on the cusp of commercialisation. If any of these products are as successful as our studies have shown they could be, Aubin will quickly have to expand and hopefully that will provide plenty of opportunities for someone like me.”
What advice would you give to others looking to get into the oil and gas industry?
“Work experience and extracurricular activities proved crucial in me landing a job. Even with a first class degree, it was difficult to stand out from other candidates. My summer placement with Talisman and being captain of the university squash team was great for my CV.”
If you weren’t doing the job you are in now, what else would you be doing?
“I love being a chemist, but if I wasn’t doing this I would choose a career in engineering – there are so many opportunities for engineers to do very diverse work all around the world.”
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