Profile
Chloe Hinchliffe
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About Me:
I am a biomedical engineer and I do research at Newcastle University. I love reading, tea, and doing karaoke with my friends!
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I moved to Newcastle from Surrey a couple of years ago and am still getting used to the cold! I read a lot of pop-science books but I also love fantasy and sci-fi. I love to knit, I’m always making people little toys or hats. I also do pole and aerial skills which is very fun but I’m always covered in bruises! I live on caffeine: I drink at least four cups of tea and one coffee a day, but I also really enjoy cooking lots of tasty vegan and vegetarian food!
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My pronouns are:
She/her
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My Work:
I am a biomedical engineer that does research at Newcastle University. I work with wearable tech to look at people’s health and activity.
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I finished my doctorate a couple of years ago, so I am now a post-doc and I specialise in biomedical signal processing (meaning I can analyse any data recorded by sensors attached to someone’s body) and machine learning. At Newcastle, I do research with digital wearables.
My current research is focused on fatigue in chronic diseases: a lot of people with all sorts of long-term illness feel really tired all the time. So I am trying to find a way to tell how tired they are from how they walk. It’s very complicated and very fun!
I travel a lot. I present at conferences, where scientists meet up to talk about our research! Which means I get to go all over the world and tell people about my work. Last year, I spent a month in Australia and this year I am going to Orlando, FL!
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My Typical Day:
Each day I wake up and have coffee and read some of a pop-science book. Then I walk to the office to arrive by 9:30 and have my first tea of the day! I write code or work on a paper or presentation until lunch with my work friends. I then continue to work until about 5 pm.
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The work I do day-to-day is mostly coding. Python is my favourite language but I also use MATLAB and a little bit of R.
An important part of my job is sharing my research, which I do through publications in scientific journals. So I write up what I did and what I found, and other scientists review my work tell me if I need to change anything, kind of like a teacher marking my homework!
I also making posters and presentations on PowerPoint so that I can go to conferences and events to tell people about work.
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What I'd do with the prize money:
I would love to go around to schools to talk to girls and young women about careers in engineering. I think there’s a lot of stereotypes around engineering and I want to show people that engineering is not as boring as it seems!
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Education:
I went to school at John Colet for Years 7-11 then for sixth form I went to Aylesbury High School. I studied Mechanical Engineering at University of Surrey, but switched to Medical Engineering after my first year. After I finished my Master’s (MEng) I stayed in Surrey to do my PhD, where I specialised in biomedical signal processing and machine learning.
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Qualifications:
GSCE: A* in Maths and Physics, A in Biology, Chemistry, German, Art, Geography, English Literature, and B in English Language.
A-level: A* Maths, A in Physics and Art, B in Further Maths
1st in MEng Medical Engineering
PhD in Biomedical Engineering
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Work History:
While I was at Uni, I worked part-time at a few pubs and night clubs as well as giving tours of the University to applicants and their parents. I also did some part time teaching.
Once I graduated, I moved to Newcastle for my current job: a post-doctoral researcher.
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Current Job:
I’m a post-doc. So I do research as a part of a research team. Soon, I hope to start and lead my own research projects.
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Employer:
I work at Newcastle University in the Brain and Movement Research Group.
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
tea-drinking biomedical engineer
What did you want to be after you left school?
I had no idea, but I liked the idea of medical engineering, so this is what I went on to study.
Were you ever in trouble at school?
Only once, I forgot my PE kit!
If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?
Maybe a doctor or surgeon?
Who is your favourite singer or band?
Taylor Swift
What's your favourite food?
Cheese, the stinkier the better.
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
I'd wish for perfect hair all day every day, a cat, and to go back to Australia every year.
Tell us a joke.
What do you get when you mix a tortoise and a porcupine? A slow poke!
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