Profile
Matt Shaw
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About Me:
I live in Canterbury where I am a PhD student of genetics. I enjoy climbing, badminton, squash, salsa and surfing and have two chinchillas and lots of plants.
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My pronouns are:
He/him
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My Work:
I am a PhD student of genetics. I look at how fungi can evolve by re-arranging their genes.
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Read more
I am a PhD researcher at the university of Kent where I study evolution in fungal pathogens. Fungi are very good at re-arranging their genomes and this can help them to evolve quickly, and gain drug resistance for example. These re-arrangements often happen at repetitive elements (DNA sequences which occur multiple times throughout the genome). I use gene-editing tools to cut these sequences to study their effect on evolution. This involves a mix of lab work and computational analysis.
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My Typical Day:
I wake up and have coffee. Get to work around 8 and set up some experiments for the day. I then go to the gym or play a sport before coming back to my experiments. Then I have lunch, sometimes followed by a guest lecture. Then an afternoon in the lab or doing analysis until around 6, followed by climbing or something else fun.
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Education:
I went to Swanmore Secondary School in Hampshire for my GCSEs and then Barton Peveril for my A levels. I was accepted to a combined masters in Chemistry but I was not sure what I wanted to do, so took a year out to travel. In this time I did some voluntary conservation work and decided I enjoyed Biology. I then changed my course to Biology, which I studied at the University of Leicester, later specialising in genetics. Lockdown happened during my undergrad which stopped me from getting much lab experience, so I decided to do a research masters before applying to PhDs to get this experience. After this, I was accepted to a PhD in the same lab, where I still work.
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Qualifications:
GCSEs: English literature (A), English language (A), Chemistry (A), Physics (A), Biology (A), Maths (A), Geography (A), History (A*), French (B), IT (B), PE (C) and Statistics.
A levels: Biology (A), Chemistry (B), Psychology (B), Extended project (B).
Undergraduate: Biological Sciences (Genetics) (First class with honours).
Masters by research: Genetics (Pass with minor corrections).
PhD: Genetics (Ongoing).
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Work History:
Jul 2015- Jul 2017, Bartender/waiter, The Travellers Rest.
2017-2019, Bartender, HAP recruitment.
February 2019-June 2019: Bartender, The Lime Tree.
July 2019-Present: Bartender/supervisor, ARC hospitality.
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Current Job:
PhD student
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Employer:
University of Kent
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Active, outdoorsy geneticist
What did you want to be after you left school?
I had no idea but I liked science
Were you ever in trouble at school?
Yes
If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?
A fieldwork job in conservation
Who is your favourite singer or band?
Rodriguez
What's your favourite food?
Sushi
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
I wish I: had the ability to communicate with any living organism (so I can ask my fungi why they don't behave), was better at languages
Tell us a joke.
I don't hate all of the periodic table. Just elements of it.
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