Leading the field - Graduate Nagina Aziz
Mon, 16 Jul 2012 16:48:00 BST
Master of Chemistry graduate joins pharmaceutical giant
AT the age of 22, the University of Huddersfield’s star science student of 2012 is already at work in a key role for one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies.
Nagina Aziz (pictured), of Dalton, Huddersfield, who went to Rawthorpe High School, was the first member of her family to go to university. Now she has graduated with an MChem (Master of Chemistry) degree, achieving an overall mark of 86 per cent.
This makes her the highest scoring graduate of the year and one of just 60 out of 4,500 whose 80-plus average marks mean that they receive a Diamond Jubilee Award from University of Huddersfield Chancellor, Sir Patrick Stewart.
Nagina was looking forward to returning to the University for her graduation ceremony, but she is already working full-time at the Hull plant of multinational company Reckitt Benckiser, where she has joined a team of quality control analysts who perform quality control testing on various Reckitts’ power brands such as Neurofen and Dettol.
Nagina – whose principal passion is for organic and analytical chemistry – uses the expertise she developed during her studies in techniques such as high performance liquid chromatography in order to carry out the vital tests.
Nagina joins multinational Reckitt Benckiser
Born and brought up in Huddersfield – where mum and dad Ruksanna Shaheen and Abdul built a successful business from scratch – Nagina developed a passion for science, especially chemistry, during A-level studies at Greenhead College. After A-grades in biology, psychology and chemistry she received offers from a number of universities, but opted for Huddersfield due to what she describes as its caring atmosphere.
She was also attracted by the prospect of a four-year course which – provided her results were good enough – enabled her to continue on the MChem pathway to the Masters degree.
Greenhead College’s voluntary service meant that Nagina has already gained a lot from experiences such as work with visually-impaired children. Also, she was one of 24 students chosen from across the UK to take part in the GlaxoSmithKline residential chemistry training experience – advertised through the University of Huddersfield.
While studying for the MChem, her third-year placement was in the quality control department at the Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust pharmacy manufacturing unit.
“It was a great opportunity to experience the lifestyle and responsibilities that come with working within a branch of the major organisation of the NHS,” she says.
Back at the University of Huddersfield, working on the final-year dissertation and studying for the final year exams, Nagina pays special thanks to staff.
“They never turned students away whenever they needed to go over any aspect of the course,” said Nagina. “This open door policy allows students to be comfortable about approaching lecturers for help. At other universities you have to make formal appointments.”
Her hard work paid off and in addition to her Diamond Jubilee Award – for which all students across the university qualify – she has also received the J Blamire Prize for the outstanding academic performance in the first and second year of the course, topped off by the W Blamire prize in the final year.
Nagina’s family – including brother Balal and sister Roseina – were supportive of her studies and proud of her achievements. She is delighted that she opted to study at her hometown university.
“It has a fantastic atmosphere,” she says. “And I am so glad that I did a third-year placement. I would really recommend it to anyone, because it gives you a chance to put your knowledge learnt during the course into action and see it working.”
