In a year where, once again, the lack of esteem placed on vocational education and colleges was repeatedly highlighted as one of the major barriers facing the sector, Kirsty Robb was a shining beacon that made her a deserving entry into Tes Scotland‘s 10 people of the year for 2019.
The first inductee into the College Hall of Fame set up by the College Development Network (CDN), not only is she a leading scientist in a field where women are still very much a minority, she also took a route to the top that is still all too often overlooked - articulation from college to university.
Dr Robb started her journey at Forth Valley College’s Falkirk Campus, where she completed an NQ in applied biological studies. In that time, she was presented the award for the best student in the department of applied science in 2009. Her college qualification allowed her to enrol on the third year of a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and immunology at Strathclyde University in Glasgow - where, upon graduating in 2011, she began her PhD in structural dynamics of bacterial GntR proteins.
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Role model
Now, only a few years into her career, she is a post-doctoral researcher at the Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Science, and is working in collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) in the fight against superbugs. In January 2019, she was one of only three Scottish women on a ship that set sail for Antarctica as part of Homeward Bound, a leadership and science initiative that aims to heighten the influence and impact of women with a science background in order to shape policy and decision-making.
She has not forgotten her time at college, however, and still carries out the role of science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem) ambassador for Forth Valley College, speaking in front of school groups - something she first started while a college student.
Her induction into the hall of fame, CDN said at the time, aimed to highlight and recognise the outstanding contribution that college graduates make to society and the economy - and it is that, and her unquestionable role model status, that makes her one of Tes Scotland‘s 10 people of the year.
