It took Rachel Jamieson a little time to discover her ideal Master's degree but when she found out about our MSc Food Science she soon realised it was a perfect fit - she had a strong scientific background from her undergraduate degree in Chemistry and a passion for food, nutrition, and wellbeing.
"It excited me straight away to learn of the different careers I could go into. It seemed liked the perfect combination of my interest in science and passion for food and nutrition. It was the best decision I've ever made."
Her favourite module on the Food Science course was, unsurprisingly, food chemistry, in which she learned about the chemistry of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, as well as their uses in food and why they are used in recipe formulations.
Rachel was drawn into a product development role because it seemed like the "perfect career route" for her. She completed a 6-month internship at French bakery brand Brioche Pasquier in new product development (or NPD) after graduation, and is now a Product Technologist at Unilever, working within the Pepsi Lipton joint venture, developing Lipton Iced Tea.
"A large part of the development of iced tea is achieving the optimal flavour. For example, a simple lemon or mint can have many different profiles and sensory attributes, but you also have to balance the flavour by considering the sweetness and acidity. Flavour is super interesting, yet it is very complex. Tasting iced tea samples every day is really helping develop my knowledge of flavours."