The IBioIC MSc program gave Ben the perfect pathway back into Science.
In this case study, we catch up with Ben Shaw, a student on our MSc programme.
Why did you decide to undertake this MSc?
This course was the perfect pathway for me to find my way back into science. After graduating from Strathclyde with an MChem in Chemistry with Drug Discovery in 2023, I moved into a Data Analyst role in the legal sector, where I was able to put transferable skills like large-scale data handling, statistical analysis, and report writing to good use. While I enjoyed the work, I found myself missing science more and more, but I just wasn't sure how to get back into it. That's when I came across the MSc Industrial Biotechnology programme and everything it had to offer. It gave me the opportunity to bring together my varied experiences while building new ones, and provided a clear pathway back to doing what I love.
What are your ambitions for the future?
They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, and that's exactly how I felt about science. My ambition is to now bring together my chemical and analytical background with a new understanding of bioprocessing and sustainability, and use that combination to carve out a career in an industry that I'm excited to be a part of.
What has been your favourite part of the MSc to date?
I've really enjoyed how hands-on the course is, and how varied the subjects are. This year alone I've had the chance to develop skills across marine biology, project management, bioinformatics, and more; areas I'd never previously had the opportunity to explore. That broad spectrum of subjects gave me a much better appreciation of science and industry as a whole, and helped me gain a much clearer sense of where my real interests lie.
Where/what do you think the next innovation in IB will be?
Formulation science is my bread and butter, so I believe the next big frontier in IB lies in waste valorisation – taking waste streams that have historically been discarded and written off as worthless, and turning them into high-value components within real formulations. It's exactly what I worked on during my placement, where I used spent coffee grounds to develop a bio-derived surfactant. Being able to take something the world has thrown away for decades and turn it into part of the solution to sustainable products is exactly the kind of thing that makes you want to get into science in the first place.
What is an interesting fact about you / what do you enjoy doing away from your studies?
I love anything football related, whether that be playing it or watching it. The World Cup this summer has been incredible, and I'm absolutely delighted that Scotland got to be part of it this time around. The atmosphere over in America has looked phenomenal, and it's definitely on my bucket list to attend a World Cup one day; assuming we can keep qualifying, of course!