Question: who do you look up to

Daniel Smith answered on 13 Jun 2017:

Hi,

Thats a question I don’t get asked that much. Honestly I would have to go with 3 people, all for different reasons really. Firstly (and most sentimental) is my Mum, because she was a single parent with me for most of my younger life and despite seeing how difficult it was for her, she still made sure I had everything I needed to get on at school and to make something of myself. I owe my success so far to her and I just hope to be as good a Dad one day as she was a Mum.

Second I would say my College Chemistry teacher Dr. Phil Evans, because he has literally been in every aspect of science that I want to be in one day, from doing a PhD to working at universities and then working in the pharmaceutical industry to eventually teaching everything he learnt to the new generation. He was such an enthusiastic and fun teacher, without him I may never have done science at all.

And finally, probably Prof. Brian Cox, he is an astrophysicist from Manchester University who has managed to take what he loves doing (taking quite complex science like quantum theory, and simplifying it for everyone to enjoy) and made a career as a famous scientist out of it. There aren’t that many chemists doing the same thing, I would love to be one so that I can inspire as many people as he does.

Thanks for your question.

Dan 🙂