An interview with Jason McNulty

Name: Jason McNulty

Current Job: Education Focussed Associate Lecturer

Scientific Discipline/Field: Inorganic Chemistry

Country: United Kingdom (Scotland)

Pick some letters (L,G,B,T,Q,+, etc.): G

Website: https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/chemistry/people/jam242

Twitter or other social media handle: Twitter: @jasonm769

What does your job involve?

I’m involved in teaching inorganic chemistry to UGs at all levels, running tutorials and helping run the practical labs.

How did you get to this job (education etc.)?

I completed both my MChem and PhD at the University of St Andrews and studied structure-property relationships of materials in the latter. After that I moved research groups and worked for just over 2 years as a post-doc (but still at St Andrews!) investigating hybrid lead-halide perovskites. Even though everything up to that point had been research focussed, I was always more interested in the teaching side of things so when the opportunity came to start this fully education focussed role I’m in now I jumped at it.

Do you feel being LGBT has affected your career decisions?

I wouldn’t say it affected my decisions specifically but I was always aware that there weren’t any openly LGBTQ+ members of staff (or at least any that I was aware of) so I wanted to put myself in a position where I was open in my career about who I am.

Have you had any reactions from colleagues about being LGBT, either good or bad?

All of the reactions I have had have been good and I invited several colleagues to my wedding.

Did you have any role models growing up (LGBT, STEM, totally unrelated.)?

I didn’t really have any role-models growing up until I got to university and was able to surround myself with other members of the LGBTQ+ community who helped me to be who I am unashamedly.

What are your plans for the future?

Hopefully to continue in the type of role that I’m in now and be able to be a role-model to others

Anything else you’d like to add?

Thanks for reading and always be yourself!