Meet our Bernalite Sara Fatima a PhD researcher in the field of Material & Chemical Sciences. She is working in the field of Crystallisation of Pharmaceutical compounds using Liquid Phase Transmission Electron Microscopy. We would like to congratulate Sara for recently winning two travel grants, one from the Royal Society of Chemistry and the other from Microscopy of Ireland.
Sara graduated from Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University in 2019 specialising in the field of Pharmaceutics.
After earning a master’s degree in pharmacy and being a gold medallist in both her undergrad and masters, her love and passion for the field led her to teach students in classes and labs for nearly 2 years. Stumbling across the papers and publications of her current Supervisor Dr. Jennifer Cookman, inspired, and encouraged Sara to apply for a PhD under Cookman’s supervision. Even though she had no background in microscopy her curiosity in the field of crystallization from the publications of Jennifer motivated her to move to Limerick and begin her new chapter in the realm of science.
Sara humorously describes her work to the public, likening it to chocolate, a sweet delight most enjoys.
“Imagine you have a delicious cup of hot chocolate in front of you. Now, let's say you want to make it cooler and turn it into a yummy chocolate candy. Crystallization is like a magical process that transforms your liquid hot chocolate into solid chocolate candy! Here's how it works: When you heat up the hot chocolate, the cocoa and sugar dissolve completely in the liquid, just like when you mix sugar in hot water. But as the hot chocolate starts to cool down, the dissolved cocoa and sugar molecules come together and arrange themselves in a very organized pattern. They form tiny, beautiful, and symmetrical structures called crystals. Think of these crystals like little building blocks, joining together to make the solid chocolate. The specific pattern of these crystals gives the chocolate its smooth texture and shape. So, by letting the hot chocolate cool down slowly, you encourage the formation of these lovely crystals, turning it into a solid chocolate candy. Crystallization happens in many other situations too, not just with hot chocolate. You may have seen it when making homemade rock candy, or when salt forms on the surface of a rock by the sea. It's a fascinating natural process that creates orderly arrangements out of chaos!”
Why is this important?
Working in the field of crystallization can be fascinating and rewarding, offering opportunities in various industries such as chemistry, materials science, pharmaceuticals, food and beverage, and more. The study of crystallization spans across various scientific disciplines, such as chemistry, physics, and materials science. This interdisciplinary nature opens avenues for collaboration and diverse research opportunities. Crystallization has extensive applications in industries like pharmaceuticals (for drug development and purification), materials science (for creating advanced materials), and the food industry (for producing high-quality products). Crystallization plays a crucial role in developing green and sustainable processes, such as separation and purification methods. The applications of crystallization have a wide-reaching impact, from developing new medicines to improving manufacturing processes. Working in this field allows you to contribute to innovations that can benefit people around the world.
When asked about Sara’s experience in Bernal to date she said: “It’s a great working environment and everyone is supportive, but it mostly boils down to my Supervisors Jennifer and Sarah. “Jennifer has done commendable work and is very young to have achieved what she has up to now. She's so supportive and really takes the time to help me. This year, I've won two travel grants and I have to thank her for that entirely. She guided me throughout the application and through my experiments. She is there when you need her, like it took me nearly a year to get trained on the microscope and she was always there supporting me in the background. And then when I started my experiments, she used to personally train me and take the time to make sure I fully understood everything whether it’s face to face or on video calls, which is valued and appreciated in a supervisor. Dr. Sarah Hudson, my co-supervisor is also one of the best supervisors I could’ve asked for! I’m glad that I have two female leaders in their fields to look up to. It gives me great motivation.”
If her life could be a theme song, the best song that describes her life right now is, “Unstoppable, by Sia.” Moving to Ireland and starting a different chapter in science has helped her feel confident, motivated, and independent.
We can’t wait to see what you achieve next Sara! Best of luck in all your work, we are proud to call you a #Bernalite, from #BernalNeighbourhood.