Josh Mason

Josh Mason

I did my Professional Placement Year at Unilever as a Home Care Research and Development (R&D) Scientist. Unilever is one of the world’s largest consumer goods companies with over 3.6 billion people using their products every day. I worked on the science, technology and innovation behind these products that are stocked in shops across the globe.

Working on brands such as Persil, Comfort and Domestos feels so rewarding when I go to the supermarket and see them on the shelves. I had the chance, in R&D, to work with marketing, supply chain and customer development to help with launch of new products. Working with teams in other categories has massively improved my business understanding.

One of my most exciting projects has been working out how we can best show the science behind our products to consumers. This involved planning and creating TikToks with external partners for Domestos. This project has helped me understand how I can use the knowledge from my degree in fun ways I never thought I could!

The opportunities alongside my day-to-day job were endless. For example, in January 2023 I was invited to a 3-day business event in Amsterdam. This included conferences, team building exercises and a black-tie event. I also had the opportunity to volunteer in primary schools across the UK as part of their STEM week. The aim of this was to create excitement about science amongst the scientists of the future. This led me to become a STEM ambassador.

My aim was to use my placement year as a time to explore different career pathways. I enjoyed my placement year that much that I would like to return to this career after graduating!