2024 Chemical Sciences Apprentice of the Year Winner
Harriet Bean, BASF Plc
Awarded for major contributions towards the future sustainability of production plants through improvements to process safety, asset effectiveness, throughput, quality and raising apprenticeship awareness.
Harriet Bean works in polymer chemistry at BASF’s production site in Bradford. The company manufactures over 40 products used in applications such as automotive paints, cosmetic thickeners, ink dispersants and UV adsorbers. Harriet’s role is to improve pre-existing processes by reducing how long a batch takes to make, removing hazardous raw materials or altering one of the polymer’s characteristics. She also works on implementing new products to ensure the sustainability of the company’s workplace. For a chemical company, that means reducing hazards, waste and environmental impact, and that's what Harriet does on a laboratory scale before progressing and supervising trials on the production plant.
2024 Chemical Sciences Apprentice of the Year Winner
Annabel Morris, AstraZeneca
For the development of automated capabilities and upskilling of colleagues in automation, enabling efficient, high-throughput, data-rich experimentation and supporting apprentice wellbeing.
Annabel Morris works in chemical development at AstraZeneca, using automation and parallel experimentation to support the development of synthetic routes to manufacture its medicines. The chemical development team’s work is crucial to ensuring medicines are efficiently manufactured and can be rapidly delivered to patients across the globe.
2024 Chemical Sciences Apprentice of the Year Winner
Jessie Stow, Astex Pharmaceuticals
For outstanding contributions to drug discovery through the introduction of a viable biocatalytic workflow able to generate useful quantities of synthetically challenging compounds, and contributions to internal diversity, equity and inclusion and outreach in the local community.
Jessie Stow has developed technology to use naturally occurring enzymes to modify compounds and increase their potential to become new drugs. Jessie’s work contributes to the discovery of new drugs to treat cancer and neurodegeneration associated with ageing. She studies how drugs behave in the body which helps to evaluate their safety and dosing requirements.
| Year | Name | Institution | Citation |
| 2023 | Emily Rose | Pfizer | Awarded for outstanding contributions towards the development of synthetic routes and processes for emerging medicines via autonomous high-throughput experimentation workflows, and contributions to STEM activities. |
| 2022 | Abby Whitnall | GlaxoSmithKline | Awarded for outstanding contributions to medicinal chemistry programmes and to inclusion and diversity at GSK. |
| 2021 | Erin Maciejewski | GSK | Awarded for notable contributions to the process development of two novel HIV drugs whilst delivering inclusion and diversity programmes and leadership development activities. |
| 2020 | Katty O'Brien-Quilty | Thames Water | Awarded for proficiency in a variety of analytical techniques and serving as a fantastic advocate and brand ambassador for apprenticeships, chemistry and Thames Water. |
| 2019 |
William Ashworth | AstraZeneca | Awarded for outstanding contributions to a range of activities, including developing and validating a novel Self Accelerating Decomposition Temperature Screening tool. |
| 2018 | Holly Carter | AstraZeneca | Awarded for the development of a method for determining solubility of organic solutes in organic solvents and its application in the AstraZeneca drug portfolio. |
| 2017 | Roxanne Wright | AstraZeneca | Awarded for her contribution to a significant range of development drug projects and the provision of global reference standards to AstraZeneca's commercial supply chains. |
| 2016 | Adam Gymer | Pfizer Ltd | Awarded for his outstanding contribution to the development of a process to be used in the preparation of a new medicine for sickle cell anaemia. He has also been involved in designing and leading STEM activities to inspire students to pursue chemistry and vocational education routes. |
| 2015 | Not awarded | ||
| 2014 | Joseph Turton | The Food and Environment Research Agency |
Re-thinking recognition: Science prizes for the modern world
This report is the result of an independent review of our recognition programmes. Our aim in commissioning this review was to ensure that our recognition portfolio continues to deliver the maximum impact for chemical scientists, chemistry and society.