By Tegan Harris
It’s hard to believe it’s already been three months since I joined Structural Adhesives Ltd! I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the goals I set for myself after my first six weeks, and how far things have come.
One of my initial goals was to deepen my understanding of how products are developed, and I’ve gained a new appreciation for the process. From waiting on samples to formulating and testing, I’ve seen firsthand how much time, patience, and precision goes into creating high performance adhesives. It’s been eye-opening and has pushed me to become even more self-motivated and organised in how I approach my work.
My second goal was to actively build networking experience. Since then, I’ve attended Cosmic Coffee and Crossing Frontiers at Space Park Leicester. These events helped me see the real value in connecting with others across disciplines. From attending just these two opportunities, I’ve not only grown more confident in relationship-building, but I’ve also sharpened my ability to pitch the company and communicate our technical strengths.
At Crossing Frontiers, I had the chance to observe how our Managing Director, Angela, effectively approaches networking. She asked direct questions, wasn’t afraid to admit when something wasn’t clear, and made meaningful connections without complicating things. It reminded me that good leadership isn’t about having all the answers, it’s about being curious, confident, and open to learning. These skills I’m trying to carry into my own conversations as I build confidence. Additionally, the event gave us a clearer sense of how our work at Structural Adhesives Ltd fits into the wider space economy, and how organisations like ESA and TWI could support us in that journey. As an intern, it was interesting to see how industries like motorsport, aerospace, and nuclear are actively exploring ways to collaborate with the space sector. It sparked some great conversations around where adhesives come into play.
On the technical side, I’ve found that the longer I’ve been shadowing Sally and working from her feedback, the more I’ve uncovered about R&D in formulation chemistry. It’s been a rewarding learning curve, especially when it comes to troubleshooting testing failures and figuring out what to try next in a formulation. Sally’s approach has helped me think more critically about the chemical interactions between ingredients, the role of stoichiometry, and how subtle changes in ratios or curing conditions can affect performance. I’m starting to get a feel for the logic behind formulation such as how to read test results, notice patterns, and figure out what might be going wrong. Whether it’s poor adhesion or incomplete cure, I’m learning to ask better questions and think through what to tweak next. It’s helping me grow my problem-solving skills which is key as a chemist.
So far, being part of an SME has not only sharpened my technical skills but also given me the opportunity to contribute across a range of strategic and creative areas. I’ve worked on presentations for pitches, developed infographics and white papers for current products (watch this space!), and helped produce content for our website. I’ve also supported internal meetings and contributed to award submissions and partnership proposals.
I’m looking forward to continuing this journey and building on everything I have learned so far; deepening my technical expertise, strengthening my communication skills, and contributing to adhesive innovation!
