David Glass graduated with a BSc (Hons) Chemical Engineering from Bath in 1985. He tells us about what he's been up to for the last 39 years and some of his memories of his time as a student.
Author: David Glass
I'm delighted to hear about the department's 50th anniversary celebrations!
My time at Bath was life-changing, and I am really grateful to have made the journey to get a BSc (Hons) Chemical Engineering with the university. I worked as a chemical engineer until 2017, and I'm living proof that it is possible to have a great career. I went from research and development to operations and project technical lead in the UK natural gas/LNG industry and then consultancy, topped up with a MSc (Eng) Process Safety from Sheffield University.
I retired from this in 2017, when I started my research towards a PhD in Astrophysics with the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan). I passed the viva in September 2023, and I am looking forward to the graduation ceremony in July 2024! I got to observe galaxies using telescopes on Mauna Kea, Hawai'i (14,000 ft) and Pico Veleta, Spain (9,000 ft) as part of my research - an amazing experience.
I'm now living in Windermere, Cumbria with my wife Fiona who supported me through the latter part of my work and all my astronomy studies - I'm eternally grateful!
The Great 1985 Job Hunt Game
I think it's a good time to share a document with you that was created by some of our class during our final year, to try to take some of the stress out of getting a job - the Great 1985 Job Hunt Game.
I was the one who rescued the original from the wall at the end of our final-year design project, when everyone else had cleared off to the bar.
Friends to remember
One good friend from the Class of '85, David Jacobi, is fondly remembered, and we had some great times during and after our time in the department. You can read his obituary in the Guardian.
David sloped off part of the first term of the first year to visit Jewish friends in Russia, was shadowed by the KGB and came back with a bottle of chilli vodka which was just about drinkable. He also responded to a threat from Richard England to deliver a Transport Phenomena lecture in Welsh by giving a ten-minute lecture in Hebrew.
Congratulations on making it to 50 years of amazing education and research, and I wish the department well for the next 50 years and beyond!!
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