Dashboard – I'm a Scientist 2024

About Me:

I am originally from Germany and have been in the UK for 6 years. I am currently doing a PhD in cancer research in London. In my spare time I like to bake, cook, read and get creative.
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During my last years in school I realised that I would like to pursue looking into new medicines that would help others. When I then came across a Pharmacology degree offered in the UK I decided to move to the UK after finishing school and study Pharmacology at the University of Bath in 2017. Since then I have been in the UK for my education and recently started my PhD in London. I also had the opportunity to work with new medicines during two years of work at a company in Cambridge. Those years made me realise how much I enjoy working in a laboratory and that I would like to continue with this during my career.

When I am not at work I enjoy spending time with my friends and family, exploring new places around London and trying new restaurants. Since London is so central, it is easy for people to travel here and I have enjoyed showing my friends and family from home the cities I have lived in over the last years. I also enjoy reading books, which is what inspired me to work in the field of medication in the first place. I have always enjoyed cooking and baking and improving new recipes, which actually has similarities to doing and improving experiments in the lab.
My pronouns are:

she/her
My Work:

I am a PhD student at the Institute of Cancer Research, looking into new medicine for advanced prostate cancer.
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My PhD project aims to increase our understanding of advanced prostate cancer and identify weaknesses of the disease so that we can help patients and stop the disease from coming back. I work as a laboratory-based scientist and carry out experiments to collect new data. My work focuses on treating cancer cells in a lab-based setting with different medicines and looking at what changes occur in the cell. With this I can understand better what happens in the cell and how this can be targeted. I work in a rather big team where everyone has unique skills and we all work together to carry out different parts of scientific research to build a bigger picture of the disease.
My Typical Day:

After breakfast I get to work around 9 am and have a quick look at any new emails. It generally does not take long until I head upstairs to the lab to start my experiments of the day. Inbetween breaks in my experiments I have lunch with my colleagues. After finishing in the lab I have a look at the data I collected and work through it to present it in a way that is easy to understand. After planning the steps for the next day, I generally go home between 6 and 7 pm and try out some new cooking recipes.

Candidate CV questions (extra)

Education:

2005-2017 – International School on the Rhine

2017-2021 – University of Bath

2022-Present – University of London
Qualifications:

2017 – International Baccalaureate (similar to A levels)

2021 – MPharmacol(Hons) Pharmacology Degree – University of Bath
Work History:

2019-2020 – Industrial Placement Student at Crescendo Biologics

2021-2022 – Research Assistant at Crescendo Biologics
Current Job:

2022-Present – PhD Student at the Institute of Cancer Research
Employer:

Institute of Cancer Research

My Interview
- What did you want to be after you left school?
  
  Medical researcher
  
  Were you ever in trouble at school?
  
  Not that I remember..
  
  If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?
  
  Baker and Cake Decorator
  
  Who is your favourite singer or band?
  
  Selena Gomez
  
  What's your favourite food?
  
  Apple pancakes
  
  If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
  
  A healthy and peaceful world, improved medicine and the ability to fly
  
  Tell us a joke.
  
  What do you call a single piece of popcorn? A unicorn