Profile
Gemma Cooper
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About Me:
I’m a PhD student and I work with viruses. I live outside of Leicester near the countryside with my dog Bilbo. I love baking, adventuring and science!
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When I’m not at work I love to go exploring with Bilbo and discover new places. I enjoy travelling and want to see as many new places as I can, and eat as much new food as possible.
I also live to spend time at home having lazy days, especially playing on my Xbox or watching movies. I love all things Star Wars and even have a themed fish tank with an AT-AT for my fish to live in.
I have recently discovered a love for scuba diving and think it is like being in a giant fish tank, I have seen some amazing fish and even swam with barracuda.
My favourite thing is being around animals and every weekend I volunteer at a dog rescue. I get to meet and play with loads of cute dogs and take them for long walks in the woods. I find this really relaxing and a good break from my work.
I’ve also volunteered at an exotic pet refuge center where we helped animals such as skunks, monkeys, otters and even a wallaby called Ned (He loved to eat broccoli!).
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My Work:
My PhD work is making and improving antiviral compounds from natural extracts.
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I am a PhD student working in the lab and my research is focused on developing broad-spectrum antivirals from natural extracts. Natural products have been used in medicines for thousands of years and are a great source of antiviral compounds.
I work mainly with coronaviruses but also other viruses. Two of the coronaviruses I work on cause the common cold! I am trying to develop drugs that will work against more than one virus type to help prevent pandemics.
In the lab I have learnt a lot of new techniques and I am always trying new things – its very interesting. I do a wide range of things working with cells, viruses, bacteria and even some chemistry. Even though viruses are so tiny there are microscopes which are powerful for use to see them which I find really exciting. I’m using these to see if my antivirals change the structure of the viruses.
One of the things I most enjoy about my work is mentoring and helping students in the lab. I love to encourage people who are interested in science and help them do experiments and grow their skills.
I have also had the opportunity to help make outreach activities about my work. My lab group runs a Lab themed Escape room and a Lab Challenge where people do activities to “Fight the Virus” and “Find the Antiviral Drug”. These events are so much fun and a great way to share my work. We always have a great time while still showing people how exciting science can be!
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My Typical Day:
I wake up at about 8am most days and have a cup of tea with my breakfast. I head into work but I am not a morning person! I will have a coffee and plan my day, look through my results and reply to emails while I wake up. I tend to do experiments in the afternoon and work at home in the evening while watching my favourite TV shows.
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I do not like mornings at all so I prefer to do my easier tasks in the morning which don’t need a lot of brain power. I also like to work in the shared office doing these tasks so I can catch up with my friends and make the boring emails more fun!
In the afternoon I like to focus and do my experiments in the lab as this is when I work best. It does mean I tend to work later than most people but I like to take the mornings easy so I don’t really mind.
My brain works the best in the evening so I will quite often work when I get home after I have made some dinner. I can really focus and spend a lot of time doing my more difficult tasks such as writing – there are a lot less distractions at this time.
I do spend most of my days working in the lab but I do try to work at home sometimes so that I can play with my dog and wear comfy clothes!
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What I'd do with the prize money:
I would help my lab group to make our Lab Challenge activity even better.
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Education:
I went to secondary school in Deeping and stayed there for Sixth Form because I loved my Biology and Chemistry teachers.
I went to the University of Nottingham for my Bachelors/Masters and then moved to De Montfort University in Leicester for my PhD.
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Qualifications:
I have 11 GCSEs including IT, Business, Geography and Triple Science (an odd mix but I enjoyed them all)
I studied Biology, Psychology, Geography and IT at A level and picked up Chemistry as an AS level when I realised that I needed it to get on the university course that I wanted.
I also completed an extended project qualification which was my first independent research project where I looked at natural antimicrobials.
I started at the University of Nottingham studying Biology as a Bachelors degree and I enjoyed it so much that I transferred onto the Msci course (Masters level)
I am now studying for my PhD
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Work History:
During sixth form I spent some time volunteering as an assistant at a contract research laboratory to get some experience.
My first job was working in retail at John Lewis on evenings and weekends. While I was very shy and quiet at school, serving customers really helped my confidence. I continued working here all through university.
One of my summer breaks at university I volunteered at an exotic pet refuge center to learn about animals and their care.
After university I continued to work at John Lewis for a few months while I looked for a job in science.
I started working in a laboratory in a contract research organisation as an assistant scientist. Here I learnt do many new things and a lot of new skills. Our lab was testing drugs which used viruses to deliver therapies for genetic disorders. I worked in the PCR lab which was a lot of genetics which I HATED at university. I found that I actually really enjoyed the genetics side when it was more practical and not just learning in a classroom – I understood a lot more.
I stayed here for about 3 years, eventually ending up as a senior scientist. I managed projects and looked after a lot of data.
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Current Job:
I’m currently a PhD student full time which keeps me very busy. This involves managing my own research while also looking after the lab that I work in. I do a lot of cleaning to make sure that the lab is clean and tidy, and also work alongside other researchers.
As a PhD student I train and mentor students in the lab and help them with their projects. I also pick up part time work alongside.
I work as a demonstrator for laboratory practical classes at my university in microbiology. I get to help students with their techniques and also learn a lot of new things myself. This has really shown me how much I love teaching people and I definitely want to do more of it.
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Employer:
De Montfort University
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Virus Lab Enthusiast
What did you want to be after you left school?
I knew that I wanted to work in science but I wasn't sure what kind of job I wanted. When I applied to University I chose to just study what I found the most interesting rather than have a job in mind.
Were you ever in trouble at school?
Only one time when I back talked my teacher! I didn't like getting told off so I never did again.
If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?
I've always said I would be a zoo keeper, I just don't like the early mornings.
Who is your favourite singer or band?
AJR
What's your favourite food?
Free food
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
1. More stuff for the lab! 2. More Dogs 3. Never having to do chores again
Tell us a joke.
What do you call a boomerang that doesn't come back? A Stick.
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