Nessa Carson: About
Nessa Carson is a professional synthetic organic chemist working with laboratory automation (robots) to perform high-throughput experimentation in the private sector in south east England.
To complement my organic chemistry experience, I like to get involved with other science-related projects. I wrote this website SuperScienceGrl to teach myself CSS and JavaScript, and followed up by learning about Python and R. The site's purpose is as a repository for content I think is useful, mostly to scientists. I keep a database of upcoming conferences in organic chemistry, and a handy chemical vendor search. Luigi da Vià and I curate a Peeriodicals overlay journal, High-Throughput Automation in R&D. I also host two Twitterbots: @ukchemjobs, which keeps an eye on the UK chemistry job market, and @ChemPostdocBot, which shares chemistry postdoc jobs around the world. For fun, you can also check out all the elements I've ever used in my time as a chemist (and make your own interactive checklist) here. I also write poetry.
Selected projects:
- Coding with Python and R in lab and at home to augment and automate
- Wrote this website SuperScienceGrl to learn CSS and JavaScript
- Conference database for organic chemistry and beyond
- Chemical vendor search engine, to find approved vendors of particular chemicals
- High-Throughput Automation in R&D, a Peeriodicals overlay journal
- My chemistry job market Twitterbots: @ukchemjobs and @ChemPostdocBot
- Read my latest articles from my freelance science writing
- View my virtual mini-CV or LinkedIn
- I also write poetry.
Updated Sep 2021

Projects I'm working on
RSC Synthetic Reaction Updates
Synthetic Reaction Updates is a literature curation service run by the Royal Society of Chemistry, keeping you up to date with new or improved transformations in organic chemistry. I'm one of the Scientific Editors who selects new papers every month.
May 2020–present
Freelance Writing
I write science-based magazine articles for technical audiences. I have a regular column, Organic Matter, in the Royal Society of Chemistry's magazine Chemistry World. See all my articles here.
Mar 2017–present
RSC Heterocyclic & Synthesis Group
The HSG exists within the Royal Society of Chemistry to support heterocyclic and synthetic organic chemistry. We organize several events per year including the flagship Grasmere Conference, coordinate the Retrosynthesis Competition, and host the biennial Charles Rees Award in heterocyclic chemistry.
Mar 2019–present
High-Throughput Automation in R&D Peeriodical
It's sometimes hard to search for high-throughput, small-molecule research articles, as they get lost in the mass of polymer, battery, and inorganic papers. Luigi da Vià and I created this overlay journal to share any papers relevant to pharma, agro, and other high-throughput, small-molecule chemists.
Aug 2020–present
#UKChemJobs &
#ChemPostdoc Twitterbots
Finding chemistry jobs in the UK or postdoctoral jobs is tough. I've created two Twitterbots that want to help. @ukchemjobs both shares its own links, and automatically RTs any tweet containing the popular hashtag #ukchemjobs. @ChemPostdocBot also shares its own links, and automatically RTs any tweet containing #chempostdoc.
Mar 2019/Jun 2021–present