Professor Carmen Domene FRSC

I have been very lucky to have many excellent mentors during my career, people who were very generous with their time and shared with me their experiences and provided advice; what still inspires me is the dedication of most of them to their research/science well past retirement age!

Chemistry underpins almost every aspect of the world around us and it offers endless ways to find solutions to pressing challenges. The result is that there will be lots of things to choose from/learn about. Interact with people as much as possible and do not be afraid of seeking advice/support.

I am looking forward to finding out how artificial intelligence is further exploited in the chemical sciences but also in many different aspects of our lives. There are many ethical challenges associated with the development and the opportunities arising from AI. How we are going to deal with those is probably even more interesting and challenging in my view.

I have lived and worked in many different parts of the world and I have built an amazing network of collaborators and friends. I have explored the world by travelling to conferences and have experienced diverse cultures working in many overseas institutions. Personally, this aspect of my job is one of the most rewarding ones.

I come from a large family and my family ties are very strong. I left 'home' to embark on a PhD in a 'foreign country' when there were no emails or mobile phones nor was it cheap to make international phone calls. At times, I felt a bit homesick. I remember I could only afford to call my family from a phone box once a week, on Sundays. I used to talk to them for just 15 minutes using a scheme called 'Europa 15' available from the main Spanish telephone operator at that time. Those were the days!

Good research culture means flexibility, respect, generosity (sharing time, advice, successes), freedom to make choices, courage to take up challenges, acceptance of failure, provider/receiver of support and so many more...

In science, one can feel very isolated at times, e.g. when receiving rejections from grant applications, criticisms in referee reports, failure to secure an ideal job etc. Having a group of people with whom one can share these burdens as well as successes of course, is crucial to carry on.

It has to be potassium as lots of my work has been on K-channels. Potassium is necessary for the function of all living cells and it is vitally important to signal transfers in nerves and muscles; potassium helps keep your heart beating at the right pace!