Profile

I am 29 years old. I live in Abingdon with my friend George, who is a physicist who works in scientific computing, and a cardboard cut-out of Ed Miliband. Most of the conversations in our house revolve around talking about all sorts of science!

I’m a doctor, so my main link to science is through studying medicine at university and learning about what we know about how the human body works and how that plays a role in developing disease. I recently started studying for a Master’s degree in Genomic Medicine – that’s all about using the entirety of a person’s DNA (or genome) to try and work out how to diagnose and cure diseases and how to given people healthier lives!

I enjoy playing and writing music on the guitar and listen to all sorts of music but especially metal! I’m addicted to pizza and ice cream and eat it way more than I should >_<

I like to relax by going on epic journeys – I once went to Hong Kong by train!

My other hobbies include snowboarding and juggling. My guilty pleasure is watching WWE.

I’ve been qualified as a doctor for over 4 years. Currently, I’m on an eight-year training programme to become a consultant paediatrician. This means that all of my patients are under 18 years old. At the moment I work in Milton Keynes where it’s my job to look after the kids and young people who come to hospital through A&E or via the GP and all the newborn babies who need medical attention.

Because I’m also researching genomic medicine, I learn all about how subtle changes in the DNA sequence of different people can result in big changes in why they might get different diseases, or what their bodies can or can’t do. We hope that in the future we can help people stay healthier for longer and treat lots of different diseases based on the secrets contained within their DNA.

I work in rotations lasting a few months so currently I’m based on a neonatal unit where we look after all of the newborn babies who need extra care and attention because they are poorly and those who are just born too early. Sometimes I get emergency calls which means I have to births and help resuscitate the babies who don’t breathe very well after they’re born.