Science and maths - career options

Cosmetics Specialist, Shakila Sathiananthan

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Hi there, I'm Shakila. I work as a Scientific Advisor for L'Oreal to help market new, high fashion cosmetics and perfumes.

It's my job to explain how our products work so that people who buy then understand what they do. The products I work with are basically a mixture of chemical compounds, so it's really important for me to have a good understanding of chemistry and some biology too.

That way I can understand the science behind products and explain it in a simple way. Some people are surprised when they find out I'm a scientist, because I get to work with great beauty products all day.

The cosmetics and beauty industry is quite glamorous and sometimes there are big celebrity product launch parties to attend. It's a tough job but someone's got to do it.

Did you know?

- Cosmetics Scientists can earn between £18,000 - £50,000 a year

- As a Cosmetic Scientist, you could work on the biggest brands and most high profile beauty launches

- There's a huge range of job possibilities within the cosmetics industry from research; understanding reactions of skin, hair, nails etc. To packaging; developing containers that are safe, attractive and able to dispense the correct amount of product

- Cosmetics Scientists need a Maths and Science background as they work with Chemical Compounds

Lighting Designer, Will Wagner

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Hi, my name is Will and I design the lighting for events, concerts, plays, films, pop videos etc.

From a young age, I was interested in the way things work and was constantly taking things apart and putting them back together. I got interested in Lighting Design at school when I started to create lighting for the school theatre productions.

In my job, I spend about a quarter of the time working with my team and making sure that everything is going to plan and the rest of the time is spent designing and implementing projects.

During my career I have worked on Lighting Design for the London Eye, pop concerts such as Kylie Minogue and the opening ceremonies of both the Sydney and Athens Olympics!

I've also been able to travel quite a bit across Europe and to America, both for projects and trade shows.

Did you know?

- Lighting Designers tend to start on a basic wage of between £22,000 - £26,000 but can rise dramatically as a Senior Freelancers can earn up to £1227 a week

- You never know where the next project will take you and have the opportunity to work all around the world

- You get to work with Directors, Stage Managers, Artists and bands

- Lighting Designers not only need to learn about how lights work, but how different space, materials and fabrics respond to light

Marine Biologist, Tom Hart

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Hello, I'm Tom. I am a Marine Biologist at the Zoological Society of London.

My job involves researching how penguins are adapting and coping with the climate change. It also requires a lot of field work, which means I visit and collect data from areas such as Antarctica. I then have to process these samples and analyse the information.

I was always fascinated by science subjects at school but never thought it would take me to such amazing places. I've worked in the Amazon and Mexican rainforests and in Antarctica where we set up camp 500m away from the penguin colonies.

Studying Science and Maths has allowed me to get involved in some exciting projects and not everyone gets to say they work with penguins for a living.

Did you know?

- Marine Biologists may earn between £17,000 - £60,000 a year

- You get paid to travel to the most exotic places in the world

- Marine Biology is a diverse field because the sea is so huge. You could working with anything from seaweed to sharks

- Marine Biologists divide their time between their desk, the laboratory and field trips at sea

- As well as having a scientific background, a Marine Biologist must be physically fit and willing to travel

Snowboard Designer, Liza Brooks

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Hi, I'm Liza and I'm the Technical Director of a company called True Snowboards, which designs and makes snowboards. At school, I loved DT, Maths and Physics and went on to do a mechanical engineering degree.

I didn't know what to do for my final project so my teacher suggested I followed my interests and looked at snowboarding. I did my project on the vibrations and frequencies of snow and what that means for snowboard design and the rest is history!

I think Science and Maths have led me to the best job in the world. I get to design snowboards, which I love, I get to test my designs on the French Alps and I get paid to do it!

Did you know?

- Snowboard Designers can earn from £16,000 - £55,000

- Being a Snowboard Desginer, involves travelling to ski resorts all over the world, from the French Alps to the Canadian Rockies

- Snowboard designers create boards for athletes at the winter Olympics. You could be responsible for helping bring home a gold medal!

- Snowboard designers and engineers don't have a dress code to stick to and aren?t restricted to where they work

- You get paid to spend a lot of time on the snow, testing different snowboard designs

Digital Designer, Simon Cam

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Hey I'm Simon, better known as Scam by my colleagues, and I'm a Digital Designer.

I work at an advertising agency called Glue London and my job involves working specifically with interactive video production.

That means I work with film, special effects and 3D graphics, in developing games and all sorts of other cool stuff you see online. My job is hugely varied; one day I could be creating an online 3D game and the next I'll be shooting a piece of film with miniature body cameras.

Even though I work in what is typically considered a 'creative' field, my maths and science background has really helped me with the technical side of my career. If you're creative, but also like Maths and Science, this is the perfect job for you.

Did you know?

- A Digital Designer can earn between £14,000 - £45,000

- Being involved in loads of video shoots means you have to travel all over the country and sometime abroad

- You get to work with a huge range of people from film directors and actors, to designers and illustrators

- As a Digital Designer you need to stay on top of creative, visual and technological trends

Sports Technologist, Chris Holmes

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Hi, I'm Chris and I work as a Sports Technologist for Adidas. I specialise in developing 'ovoid' balls, which is basically any sports ball that isn't round (like rugby balls).

My job is to figure out the best designs for maximum performance. No day is ever quite the same, and I get to meet a lot of interesting people along the way, from sports scientists and coaches to athletes and sports stars.

I loved science and maths at school and was also mad about rugby and squash. Taking Physics and Maths at A-level helped me get into uni and I use the scientific principles I learnt during my degree every day at work.

I'd recommend my job to anyone interested in science, maths and of course, sports!

Did you know?

- You could earn between £18,000 and £60,000.

- Sports Technologists spend a lot of their time outdoors, testing sports equipment and sometimes travel abroad too.

- You could get to work with the best sport stars and athletes in the world.

- There are loads of exciting opportunities for sports lovers in this field, from helping Formula One cars go faster to designing a new football stadium.

- Working with big sports brands is great as you get to try new products before anyone else.

Games Developer, Simon Cooper

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Hi. My name is Simon and I help build and create computer games. My official job title is Lead Scripter, which basically means I build scenarios for games using a computer scripting language.

The most famous game I have worked on is probably, 'Driver - Parallel lines'. As well as creating games we also test them, which is great fun. We look out for bugs and record any problems as we play. We also test other people's games too, as it's really important that we understand what the competition is doing.

Maths and Physics A-levels gave me a good grounding to do a Games Programming degree and I use physics everyday, when scripting characters, cars, backgrounds and camera angles for the games.

I love working in a fun environment with a really supportive team. I can wear whatever I like and get paid to play computer games. It's a dream job!

Did you know?

- You can earn from £19,000 to £55,000 as a Games Developer

- High profile game releases have massive launch parties and everyone who worked on it is invited!

- As a Games Developer you could be involved in the next game to become a global craze like Grand Theft Auto.

- You get to test all the latest games before they hit the shelves.

- As well as creating computer games, handheld games and console games, you could also be involved in Arcade games, Quiz machine games, and flash games for mobiles and the internet.

- Working hours can be quite flexible in Games Development

Radio Producer, Toby Hilder

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Hi, I'm Toby and I'm a Producer at Radio 1. I've always loved music and bands and knew I wanted to have a career in music. However I liked science and maths at school, working things out and finding patterns. So the fact that my career in radio combines both of these interests is perfect!

When I was at college, I read an article about the BBC needing people for a radio engineering traineeship, so I applied and the rest is history.

My main job is to make sure Radio 1 remains on air. Sometimes this means setting up the studios before a show and teaching people to use the equipment correctly. Other days it involves building studio equipment at outdoor shows, such as One Big Weekend or working with exciting bands such as the Foo Fighters.

I love my job because I get to work with cool people and no day is the same!

Did you know?

- You can earn between £12,000 - £80,000.

- Radio Producers don't just work in the studio - they cover all the major summer festivals too.

- You get the opportunity to work with a huge range of celebrities, from singers to film stars.

- Being a Radio Producer is a lot more than just selecting music. You need to be able to write scripts, organise on-air interviews and manage groups of people to tight deadlines.

- This job means you can get involved in the whole process of broadcasting from generating ideas for the show, to managing audience feedback.

- Training as a Radio Producer can lead to loads of other technology based careers such as Broadcast Engineer, Studio Manager, Sound Supervisor or even Presenter.

Ride Engineer, Dave Inman

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Hi there, I'm Dave and I am a Ride Engineer. My team and I are responsible for inspecting and testing new theme park rides in places like Alton Towers and Blackpool Pleasure Beach as well as unique designs such as the London Eye.

The reason I test these rides is to make sure that they're safe. As part of my job, I need to understand how each bit of the ride works, which means I rely on my engineering degree and physics and maths knowledge in everything I do.

I genuinely love my job, it is an exciting and unique industry to be involved in and you get to meet a lot of people. But better still, I get to go on all the latest rides for free, which is a real bonus!

Did you know?

- As a Ride Engineer you can earn from £20,000 to more than £60,000 depending on your level.

- Ride Engineers get to travel all over the world to see their designs.

- You could design the world's next great landmark, like the London Eye.

- Kingda Ka rollercoaster in America is the tallest in the world at 456 feet and the fastest at 128mph. It also has the world's largest drop at 418 feet.

- There are many different types of rides ranging from Giant Wheels and Towers to Roller Coasters and Water Rides.

Environmentalist, Jo Carris

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Hi, my name's Jo and I'm an Energy Manager, which means I help create energy efficient buildings and protect the environment. When I learnt that buildings are responsible for almost half of UK CO2 emissions, half of our water consumption and about a third of landfill waste in the UK, I wanted to do something about it!

Right now, I'm working to make the London Olympic Games the greenest Olympics ever. Our goal is to cut carbon emissions at the Olympics by 50%.

My role is to manage the design team and put efficient energy sources, like wind turbines, into practice. Doing Physics at A-level has really helped my in my role as I use the skills I learnt every day.

I'm really proud of what I do and I love having a job that benefits the entire planet as well as leaving a legacy for the future.

Did you know?

- Typical salaries range from £18,000 - £50,000.

- You won't be stuck in an office- Environmentalists go on site regularly and inspect their projects.

- With a career as an Environmentalist, you could make a real difference to the planet and create a cleaner world for future generations.

- Most new buildings are trying to lower their carbon footprint so you could be involved in anything from houses to space stations.

- Whatever type of Environmentalist you want to be, it's important to have science qualifications behind you.

Energy Analyst, Rebecca Beresford

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Hello, I'm Rebecca and I work as an Energy Analyst at EDF Energy. Basically, I help choose which power stations they should build in the future. I rely on my science and maths knowledge every day, as I need to understand how coal, gas, biomass and renewable energies work and how they effect the environment so that I can advise EDF Energy to make the right decision.

I've worked on some really interesting projects such as an offshore wind farm in Teesside, which now provides thousands of homes with green power.

It's good to know that my background in science and maths has such a huge impact and means I can help fight climate change!

Did you know?

- Energy Analysts can earn between £18,000 - £53,000 a year.

- You could work with companies all over the world to create the most eco friendly buildings.

- Energy analysts can help mould the future of our planet.

- Many energy companies offer graduate schemes or training placements to help you get the job you want.

- Not only do Energy Analysts work on projects in the UK, but all across Europe and the effects of these changes can be felt around the world!

Planetary Scientist, Sheila Kanani

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Hi, my name's Sheila and I'm a PhD student at University College London (UCL). When I was younger, I saw the movie Apollo 13 and saw the view of Earth from space.

From that moment on, I knew that I wanted to be involved in space in some way. I was also inspired by British-born NASA astronaut Michael Foale and wanted to become an astronaut like him, (something I secretly still hope to do!) and I knew I would need Science and Maths to get there.

The team I work with at university designed an instrument that was launched with a NASA satellite in 2004, which monitors the environment around Saturn. My job involves analysing the instrument's data and working with other planetary science teams around the world. I also work with SpaceSchool and I'm really proud of the work I do there to inspire future generations of space enthusiasts.

Did you know?

- You could earn up to £60,000 as a Planetary Scientist or up to £74,000 as an astronaut.

- Some aspiring space experts attend space camps and programmes all over the world from Alabama to Russia.

- You could be involved in making the next great space discovery like life on Mars.

- In addition to the team you work with, you also get to meet and work with experts from other countries.

- Planetary Scientists can have flexible working hours and don't even need to wear labcoats.

Climate Scientist, Elizabeth Kendon

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Hi, my name's Lizzie. I work as a Climate Scientist at the Met Office where I study extreme weather patterns and the impact they have on the planet. When a flood or other extreme weather occurs, I work out what damage it might have done, and try to figure out the likelihood that it will happen again.

Climate Change is a really important issue right now, so it feels great knowing that my Science and Maths background is helping me provide a potential solution.

My job affects the whole world and the work I do shapes the way we react to extreme weather conditions. If you are concerned about the environment I can't think of a better job.

Did you know?

- Salaries range from around £19,500 to £60,000 a year.
- Meteorologists employed in the Mobile Met Unit are attached to the Royal Air Force. They could be sent anywhere in the world on military exercises and operations.
- As a Climate Scientist, your discoveries could even alter government policies on climate change.
- As well as Physics and Maths, Climate Scientists need good powers of observation, attention to detail and accuracy.
- Climate Scientists do much more than forecast the weather. They study climate change and pollution and work out what effects humans have on the weather.