Nicholas Runcie, Class of '19, visited the Chemistry Department where he met with the Advanced Higher Chemistry pupils. As a Medicinal and Biological Chemistry student at the University of Edinburgh, Nicholas was able to share his experience of university life and reassured pupils about the transition from school to university. Nicholas also talked about his personal research project, adapting AI image generation algorithms to design new medicines, which he is doing alongside his degree. Jane Kennedy, Head of Chemistry, comments: "Nicholas is a great example of the type of creative scientists which we need to solve the increasing number of global problems; long may we continue to inspire such pupils to follow their dreams."

Nicholas said: "When I submitted my UCAS application in 2019 I originally planned to study computing science at university, however, the fantastic passion that Dr Kennedy conveyed for chemistry made me question my choice and I ultimately decided to switch degree program on day 1 upon arriving in Edinburgh; this was unquestionably the best decision of my life. Chemistry is the most beautiful, fruitful subject, spanning from the mystery of the quantum world to the majesty of biology. It was therefore with great joy to be invited back to the school to speak about my experiences as a chemistry student. My talk shared a brief guide on student life, a showcase of the awesome research in Edinburgh, and some insight into the future of artificial intelligence in the natural sciences. I hope that I too managed to convey my excitement for the subject, and maybe inspire some potential future chemists."