Welsh high-tech research and development company announces First STEM Ambassador

Welsh high-tech research and development company, Deregallera, has announced its first STEM Ambassador.

Material Chemist Dr Katherine (Kat) Hunter has completed the registration and approval process through UK based, STEM Learning, and is excited to now be able to share her love of science in an official capacity as a STEM Ambassador.

Kat completed her PhD investigating electrochemical oxides on platinum at Cardiff University and joined Deregallera in 2016 as a lab technician. Within nine months she was promoted to Material Chemist and her work is now focused towards emerging high energy storage materials for capacitors, supercapacitors and batteries. She said:

“Being a STEM ambassador is a way for me to help inspire the next generation of research scientists. There is so much pressure on teachers to cover the curriculum that they can often miss out on showing students how fun and exciting science can be. And it’s definitely fun! You can tell by the state of my lab coat that it’s anything but boring! I really enjoy running workshops in schools and at fairs and showing what being a scientist can mean. Obviously, I am just one example so it’s also great to meet other scientists and explore the different roles STEM careers offer. Getting out of the lab and interacting with others not only improves my communication and presentation skills, but allows me to engage with the general public, helping to make my role at Deregallera more accessible and build my confidence at the same time.”

Deregallera is an exciting and progressive high technology business focused on ground-breaking research and development in the areas of energy storage, energy harvesting, motor and drive systems and software. Managing Director, Martin Boughtwood said:

“We pride ourselves on our team and in the process of developing a new generation of sustainable, energy technologies, we aim to develop our people. Kat is intelligent, motivated and enthusiastic: that shines out when she talks about her work. She will be an engaging STEM Ambassador encouraging the next generation of scientists and engineers.”