Archbishop Temple School Alumni

What are they doing now?

Name: Dr. Leighton Holyfield

What year did you leave Archbishop Temple School? 2007

Qualifications.

GCSEs: English Language, Maths, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Spanish, History, Food Technology, R.E.

A Levels/BTEC: Chemistry, Physics, Maths, Biology AS, Further Maths AS, Critical Thinking AS (Cardinal Newman College)

Other Qualifications/Training:

MEng Chemical Engineering with International Study (University of Birmingham)

MRes Sustainable Chemical Technologies (University of Bath)

PhD Sustainable Chemical Technologies (University of Bath)

Current occupation: Energy Consultant

My story:

I started at Temple in 2002, and remember being awed by how big the school felt compared to my primary school. Luckily, I settled in, made good friends over the 5 years I was there, and have lots of good memories to show for it. I was really engaged with many of the extracurricular activities the school offered, particularly playing in multiple sports teams (basketball, cricket, football) and being in some of the musical productions, and had lots of fun taking part in it all! I was also lucky in that was I was pretty good at school, particularly in science and maths, and I knew from pretty early on that I wanted to do something scientific for a career.

I did my A levels at Cardinal Newman College doing all three sciences and maths (as well as continuing with basketball), and it was in my first year there that I honed in on the idea of wanting to help address the climate crisis through chemical engineering. I changed my plans then to fit this, including switching from A2 Biology to AS Further Maths in my second A-level year.

I did my degree in Chemical Engineering at the University of Birmingham, including a year abroad (which I would thoroughly recommend!) at the University of Wyoming in the USA . I had an amazing time in Birmingham, and though my basketball aspirations ended there, I did pick up ice hockey, which was fun! During my degree, I discovered the idea of using hydrogen as a fuel, which really captured my imagination as a career choice! Sadly, when graduating I couldn't find many job roles that were explicitly in hydrogen, but I really wanted to work in the field, so I instead decided to do a PhD.

I did a four year integrated PhD programme in a doctoral training centre at the University of Bath. The subject was Sustainable Chemical Technologies, which covered both chemistry and chemical engineering. I wrote my PhD thesis on hydrogen storage in microporous polymers (i.e. using plastic materials with loads of tiny holes in, to better store the hydrogen in cold conditions).

After my PhD, I wanted to get out and work in the industry, rather than pursuing a career in academia. I joined a small chemical engineering consultancy in Bristol, who specialised in using computer modelling to answer complex questions around chemical plant operation and safety for clients in multiple industries, including liquified natural gas (LNG), steelmaking and pharmaceuticals. I worked there for a year and a half before moving to my current role as an energy consultant for Kiwa Gastec in Cheltenham. Among many things that Kiwa does, my team is a low carbon energy consultancy with a specialism in hydrogen as an energy vector. We do lots of work looking at hydrogen as a heating gas for the home (i.e. replacing natural gas in the grid), such as providing the evidence that it is safe and effective, as well as industrial-scale studies on the manufacture, storage and transport of hydrogen to our homes, and what that switch over might look like.

I can definitely say that I’ve been lucky enough to find a job role that really engages me, that I find very satisfying, and that I think is achieving net good in the world. I’d say this is a pretty great result all in all, and there’s no doubt that my formative years at Archbishop Temple definitely played a part in getting me to where I am today.

My advice to you:  

1. Always try your best, and work hard. If you do, opportunities will present themselves, sometimes in unusual places!

2. Take advantage of the opportunities outside of the classroom that school has to offer. It's a great way to build other skills, and make other friends, that you might not do just completing your classes.

3. Enjoy your school days! It's a special time, and the friendships you build now just might last a lifetime!