My food & drink job: Phoebe Williams, research scientist, Xampla

No comments

Name: Phoebe Williams

Age: 24

Job title: Research Scientist

Company & location: Xampla, Cambridge

Education: BSc and MRes Chemistry from Nottingham Trent University

Why did you decide to go for a career in food & drink? I have always been curious about the ingredient lists on the back of food and drink packaging and wanted to really understand what each ingredient is, and what it does in a product. Through studying chemistry at school and university, I have been able to develop this interest and I now work behind the scenes researching ingredients for food and drink applications.

Explain your job to us in a sentence (or two): At Xampla, we create drop-in high-performance natural materials and work with global brands, such as Britvic and Gousto, to deliver breakthrough new product developments and plastic replacements. I work as a research scientist within the innovation team at Xampla, focusing on the microencapsulation of vitamins, nutrients and other ingredients, for various food and drink applications. This primarily involves fundamental research and product development for our Vitamin D microcapsules, which we are developing in collaboration with global soft drinks manufacturer Britvic.

What does a typical day look like for you? We conduct all of our R&D in-house at our purpose built laboratories in Cambridge. A typical day begins by collating and analysing new data from our expert analytical scientists. I then work to identify any relevant Vitamin D stability patterns that arise from testing our microcapsules in different drink compositions and conduct research into how we can modify our capsule formulation to improve Vitamin D retention. To do this, it requires a complete understanding of Xampla’s plant-based material and how the differences in beverages, such as colour, pH and sugar content, can affect the material’s properties. My role is all about developing our materials for the specific applications and needs of our customers.

“It’s really rewarding to understand why some products are so difficult to put on the market and to develop solutions to overcome those barriers”

Tell us about how you went about applying for your job: I applied to Xampla straight after completing my Masters. The entire application was a straightforward process, beginning with an informal interview and followed by a final face-to-face interview with Xampla’s CTO, who I now work with closely in my role. In the final interview, I presented the findings of my final year research project on the synthesis and characterisation of microparticles. I found the lab and data analysis skills I developed during university, coupled with my passion for research and innovation, meant I was a great fit for the job.

What’s the best part about working with a food & drink company? It’s really rewarding to understand why some products are so difficult to put on the market and to develop solutions to overcome those barriers. For example, you will see on supermarket shelves drinks which have added Vitamin B and C, but rarely Vitamin D. From my work at Xampla, I’ve learnt that there are many factors which make this a real challenge for brands. It’s therefore particularly exciting to be working at the forefront of innovation to bring these breakthrough solutions to market. I’m part of a small hands-on team at Xampla, which means I’m involved throughout the process to bring these product developments to shelves.

And what’s the biggest misconception people have about working in food & drink? How much scientific innovation goes into each and every product! New product development requires endless hours of research and innovation from scientists behind the scenes who are tasked with problem-solving new ingredients or even flavour combinations. There is rarely a simple solution, and many of our products have been developed over years of scientific R&D.

What advice would you give to other young people looking to get into the food & drink industry? Pick something that interests you and that you have a genuine passion for. The food and drink industry is incredibly varied and there are fantastic STEM opportunities for young people to be part of the next generation of scientists and researchers. Working at Xampla, I’m fortunate to be part of a B Corp company that is creating natural products to replace polluting plastics. The products that I’m working on are changing the planet for the better – which is a really motivating part of the job.

What’s your ultimate career dream? I’ve never really had an ‘ultimate career dream’ as I enjoy learning about so many different aspects of chemistry and other STEM subjects. I always say that I would like to know a little about everything rather than everything about one thing. As I progress through my career, I want to expose myself to a wide variety of fields, whether that’s fortifying drinks with Vitamin D microcapsules, developing a never-before-seen flavour or even examining rocks in space. There’s nothing I don’t want to try and I look forward to continuing to learn more throughout my career.