Mini-profile:
Anita Dawes is a Daphne Jackson Research Fellow at the Open University, working in the field of Astrochemistry.
Using laboratory equipment, she reproduces ice which can be found in space in huge clouds of gas and dust. She makes experiments in order to get laboratory data which is compared with the one from space. The outcomes of these experiments can give clues to answer the questions "How did the Solar system form?" and "How did life on Earth originate?"
Though her work is very important to her and she enjoys it very much, her family always comes first and she enjoys spending time with them during school holidays, travelling, exploring new places and trying out new things together like indoor skydiving and stroking sharks.
Her advice is that if you love science, just carry on with it, and don't be afraid of hard things on your way - everything is possible, and you will learn how to manage complex things step by step.
