Profile

I live in Merthyr Tydfil, in the South Wales Valleys, even though I work about 37 miles away in Swansea. I don’t have any pets – I’m scared of most animals, except for goldfish (but they are fish). I love to read. I love to read about almost anything. I love graphic novels (my favourite characters are Batman and someone called Tony Chu from the Chew series of graphic novels), non-fiction science books, and murder mysteries. My favourite author is Kathy Reichs. I also love technology. I love doing electronic projects, such as making robots and restoring old video consoles. (I have about 16 video games consoles in total…). I also run a science festival in my town (Merthyr Science Festival). It is something I started and something I am very proud of.

This is me in the lab:

What I do a lot of the time is grow up lots and lots of a bacterium called E. coli or yeast called Saccharomyces cerevisiae (you may have used this to bake bread). And when I say lots, I mean litres – usually about 18! These act like little factories to make the enzyme I want to use. Then once the enzymes are made, I kill all the microorganisms so I can get the enzyme out! This enzyme I can use to make new chemicals or to find out more about antifungal resistance by running tests! The great thing about the enzyme I work with is that it is red (and red is my favourite colour!):

When not in lockdown, I get up while it is still dark and drive 37 miles to Swansea. I quite like the journey because some days the mountains are amazing colour at dawn! I usually listen to music or audio books on the way. When I get to the office, I go on my computer and read all my emails…. I then make sure I have my list of what I am going to do that day and head off into the lab. Every day in the lab is different. Some days I work in a cold room (a room that is the same temperature as a fridge!). Some days I have lots to do and some days I have not much. On those days, I spend my time in the office writing up my results in my lab book (this is where all my results of all my experiments are kept) and research what I am doing online. I also update the group’s Twitter feed and website. Some days we have lab meeting. So, this is a chance for everyone in my lab to get together to talk about the results we have got in the lab. Some days if I have been sat at the computer for a long time, I go for a short walk at lunch time, but usually I have my packed lunch at my desk and read the news and Twitter, and answer more emails. The afternoon is usually the same as the morning. When I have finished all my tasks for the day, I write down everything I want to do the next day and then make the car journey home (listening to music or audio books).