Daphne Jackson Trust staff were delighted to welcome representatives from the Motorola Solutions Foundation, one of its major donors, to its offices in Guildford on 12th August. Matt Blakely, Director of the Foundation, and Graeme Hobbs, Chairman of Motorola Solutions UK, visited the Trust offices at the University of Surrey, and enjoyed a tour of the University’s newly refurbished chemistry labs.

The visit was an opportunity for Matt Blakely and Graeme Hobbs to meet Trust staff and also Daphne Jackson Fellow Dr Sianne Schwikkard and her supervisor Professor Dulcie Mulholland. During the visit the group donned labcoats and safety glasses to take a tour of the state-of-the-art Joseph Kenyon laboratories, where Sianne and colleagues are exploring the medicinal properties of compounds isolated from plants. The visitors also met former Daphne Jackson Fellow Dr Gillian Forrester, a senior lecturer at the University of Westminster, and Daphne Jackson Trust Trustee, Dr Mary Phillips.

The Motorola Solutions Foundation has, for 11 years, generously supported the Trust’s work in reaching out to potential returners. Matt Blakely said ‘ The Motorola Solutions Foundation supports a wide range of charitable causes relating to STEM education, in many different countries, but the Daphne Jackson Trust is the only one that aims to give individuals who’ve taken a career break, the opportunity to return. It is vital that we encourage more young people to study science, but also that we give people opportunities to return to STEM careers after a break.’

Dr Schwikkard, whose Fellowship is sponsored by the Royal Society of Chemistry said: ‘After a 9 year break from research, the Daphne Jackson Fellowship has given me the opportunity to restart my career. In the very competitive world of research chemistry, the opportunity to update my skills, establish contacts in my field and extend and update my publications is invaluable. The part-time nature of the work allows me to be available to my family, while still making a useful contribution to my field of study. It is the perfect way to reenter a career in scientific research and I am very grateful for this opportunity.’

Left to right: Caroline Cross (DJT), Dulcie Mulholland (Chemistry), Mary Philips (DJT Trustee), Graeme Hobbs (Motorola Solutions UK), Katie Perry (DJT), Matt Blakely (Motorola Solutions Foundation), Sianne Schwikkard (Daphne Jackson Fellow, Chemistry), Gillian Forrester (former Daphne Jackson Fellow)