Profile
Giulia Pelos
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About Me:
Hello everyone! I am Giulia and I work as a researcher at the Wellcome Sanger Institute. I live in Cambridge with my partner and in my free time I love doing yoga, cuddling with cats, reading and travelling.
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I grew up in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, a region in the north-east of Italy. I always wanted to travel and discover the world, and this is why I lived in Germany for a while and now I moved to the UK. I am passionate about science but I also love playing board-games, painting, cooking and baking.
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My pronouns are:
she/her
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My Work:
I work in the lab to find ways to eradicate cancer cells as soon as they appear in the body.
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In my research group, we use a technique called CRISPR to cut out a segment of DNA, also knows as a gene, from the genome (the entire set of DNA instructions) of cells. Then, we use very potent microscopes to see how these cells behave when they do not have that gene anymore. We hope to use this information to find drugs that can damage cancer cells only.
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My Typical Day:
I wake up and have my porridge for breakfast while reading a book. Then I drive to work at around 9 a.m. and I start working in the lab to finish all the experiments I have on my to-do list on that day. After lunch, I usually sit at my desk analyzing data, preparing plots and discussing my results with my colleagues. At 5 p.m. I shut down my computer and drive back home.
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As a researcher in the lab, each day is different than the other. Some days I might be in the lab all day, trying to finish an experiment. Other days, I need to attend meetings where my colleagues and I discuss our results and think about which experiments we will need to plan to answer a certain question. I also need to order reagents, study what other researchers have discovered in my field and generate plots and graphs to present my results to others. Sometimes, I might also be travelling to new places to take part in scientific conferences to share what I discovered so far about my research project.
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What I'd do with the prize money:
I will invest the prize money to fund a science engagement activity that will allow me to go to schools and explain what antibiotic resistance is, why it is a huge problem and how we can stop it.
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Education:
I went to school at the I.T.I.S. Malignani in my home town, Udine. My high school was huge, it had more than 7000 students and I was enrolled in a scientific program. I studied mainly scientific subjects like Informatics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Maths but also non-scientific ones like English and Italian. Then I studied Molecular Biology at the University of Padova. After my undergraduate degree, I decided to take a masters’ degree at the University of Trento to study Cellular and Molecular Biotechnology. After working in the lab for my thesis, I realized that research was my passion, so I did a PhD in Cancer Biology at the University of Freiburg, in Germany.
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Qualifications:
2.1 BSc degree in Molecular Biology
1st class MSc degree in Cellular and Molecular Biotechnology
PhD degree in Cancer Biology
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Work History:
I tutored secondary school students and undergraduates while I was studying for my masters’ degree.
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Current Job:
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
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Employer:
Wellcome Sanger Institute
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Food-loving biologist
What did you want to be after you left school?
After primary school I wanted to be a vet or a performer in a circus, while after secondary school I wanted to be a scientist.
Were you ever in trouble at school?
Oh yes, I liked breaking the rules every now and then!
If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?
I would try to be a musical actress
Who is your favourite singer or band?
Pinguini Tattici Nucleari, an amazing Italian band
What's your favourite food?
Home-made lasagna
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
Make my boyfriend's cat allergy go away, live in a nice house on a beach, discover a phenomenal cure for cancer.
Tell us a joke.
A cell stepped on her sister's toe. The sister said "Ouch, mitosis".
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