A Little About Me.I adore Science. And research. And people.
The ability to rationally dissect the world around us and learn ever more about it is one of the greatest gifts we have as human beings. It's this passion that has forged my privileged path as a scientist. My ambition is to understand what I can about nature and ourselves, so I can share what I've learned / considered of the world in an attempt to further our understanding of who we are, and why we do what we do. These big questions have diversified my interests in many areas of biology, evolution, anthropology, sociology, philosophy, psychology and physics. You can read about these and follow my thought patterns (as well as my baking!) in my Blog. I am also very white as a result of having no windows in my office since 2010! |
What I do.
Research
As a Scientist I am interested in why and how we age.
Males and females age really differently, so I want to find out what lies behind this variation.
Using the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, I can dissect the genes / proteins / pathways involved in a relatively simple way.
Have a look here if you want to find out more about why flies are such a fantastic model to understand our biology.
I'm also passionate about figuring out why/how we've evolved the way we are! In our physiology & behaviour (again using flies to help me!).
I even spoke about it at the Sunday Assembly!
If you're interested in seeing what I've published, take a look at my Google Scholar page
Males and females age really differently, so I want to find out what lies behind this variation.
Using the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, I can dissect the genes / proteins / pathways involved in a relatively simple way.
Have a look here if you want to find out more about why flies are such a fantastic model to understand our biology.
I'm also passionate about figuring out why/how we've evolved the way we are! In our physiology & behaviour (again using flies to help me!).
I even spoke about it at the Sunday Assembly!
If you're interested in seeing what I've published, take a look at my Google Scholar page
Science Education
One of the most important jobs of a Scientist is to communicate their work, vision, and knowledge to the public.
I'm privileged to have a job where I interact with students in my subject(s) of interest on a daily basis. To feel I can assist their understanding of Biology and how it relates to the world and their own lives is fantastic, and I use this passion to drive initiatives in my educational role forward. With getting to grips with Educational Theory, I can bring evidence-based practices to my teaching approach, ensuring I can make the biggest impact I can in every student's experience.
In doing this, we not only get to spread our own research, but we also break down the barriers between the wider community and science, giving a face to the people who are behind the medical and technical revolutions which we take advantage of everyday. This is gravely important as it enables the public to understand how science is done so they can critically analyse their work as well as use this skill in their own lives to reanalyse their environment and actions.
I have talked about my research, interest, and knowledge through a variety of media over the years including TV and radio interviews, public lectures, school visits and demonstrations, Imperial Festival and of course, this site!. If you would like to find out more, have a gander at my CV or keep up-to-date with my Blog as I post my current activities on there sometimes. Alternatively you can always send me an email (see ‘Get in Touch’)
I'm privileged to have a job where I interact with students in my subject(s) of interest on a daily basis. To feel I can assist their understanding of Biology and how it relates to the world and their own lives is fantastic, and I use this passion to drive initiatives in my educational role forward. With getting to grips with Educational Theory, I can bring evidence-based practices to my teaching approach, ensuring I can make the biggest impact I can in every student's experience.
In doing this, we not only get to spread our own research, but we also break down the barriers between the wider community and science, giving a face to the people who are behind the medical and technical revolutions which we take advantage of everyday. This is gravely important as it enables the public to understand how science is done so they can critically analyse their work as well as use this skill in their own lives to reanalyse their environment and actions.
I have talked about my research, interest, and knowledge through a variety of media over the years including TV and radio interviews, public lectures, school visits and demonstrations, Imperial Festival and of course, this site!. If you would like to find out more, have a gander at my CV or keep up-to-date with my Blog as I post my current activities on there sometimes. Alternatively you can always send me an email (see ‘Get in Touch’)
Sunday Assembly London
A BIG passion of mine is Secularisation.
I think that the world would be a more accepting and progressive place if people could interact with each other without the veil of religious perspective.
However, I also recognise the important that spirituality and religion has had on the world and the support it provides in people's lives.
The Sunday Assembly enables the creation of community that religious groups inherently form, the celebration of humanity's and nature's wonders, and an opportunity to reflect on our lives with the aim of bettering them.
It was with this vision that I set up SA Bristol with my friends and continue to support SA London as a production lead. My involvement with the SA has been tremendous and I feel extremely fortunate to get involved as much as I can.
I think that the world would be a more accepting and progressive place if people could interact with each other without the veil of religious perspective.
However, I also recognise the important that spirituality and religion has had on the world and the support it provides in people's lives.
The Sunday Assembly enables the creation of community that religious groups inherently form, the celebration of humanity's and nature's wonders, and an opportunity to reflect on our lives with the aim of bettering them.
It was with this vision that I set up SA Bristol with my friends and continue to support SA London as a production lead. My involvement with the SA has been tremendous and I feel extremely fortunate to get involved as much as I can.