Profile

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Marcus Hicks

    • About Me:

      I live in London and I am a PhD student working with butterflies – I enjoy good films, good food and nature!

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      I grew up in Hampshire, with my parents both being teachers so education (and access to that education) was always important to me. I spend lots of my time playing and watching sports: football, athletics, tennis, squash – name it and I’ve probably given it a go! I also really enjoy the quality and range of food that London has to offer, in particular Turkish food up in Finsbury Park!

    • My pronouns are:

      he/him

    • My Work:

      I am working on the evolution of South American butterflies, and seeing how they cope with intense dry seasons in the forests of Peru.

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      Parts of the Amazon undergo a pronounced environmental change during the dry season. Some species have been known to alter their reproduction during this season, to save their energy (much like a bear during the winter!). We are looking at the genes involved in this process, and how they have evolved in these populations.

    • My Typical Day:

      I usually wake up around 7:30am and have a bowl of porridge. I’ll cycle to work for just after 9 and then check my emails/messages and then get on with some writing or data analysis. I’ll grab lunch with some lab mates and then get back to work, either in the lab or at my desk. I’ll head home just after 5 to hang out with my housemates!

    • What I'd do with the prize money:

      Our lab has had a few primary school visits in the past and they found it to be a really rewarding and insightful experience. If I won the prize money I would use it to help schools from further away/with fewer resources to come along and experience what it is like to be in a lab too!

    Candidate CV questions (extra)

    • Education:

      I went to The Westgate School in Winchester where I really enjoyed maths, science and sports. After this I attended Peter Symonds sixth form where my interest in Biology in particular grew. I was lucky enough to get a place at the University of Cambridge for my undergraduate, and there I studied Natural Sciences, specialising in Genetics and Zoology. I then began my PhD at Queen Mary and am still wokring on finishing that up!

    • Qualifications:

      GCSEs 8A*s, 2 A’s

      A levels (Maths, Biology, Chemistry, EPQ): 4A*s

      Bachelor’s degree: First Class

    • Work History:

      Waiter at Pizza Express

      Intern at Southampton Bone and Joint surgery

      Intern at Fauna and Flora International

      Analyst, Clim8 (sustainable investment firm)

      Analyst, Ender’s Analysis (telecoms firm)

      Laboratory demonstrator at QMUL

    • Current Job:

      PhD student and lab demonstrator at QMUL

    • Employer:

      Queen Mary University of London

    • My Interview

      • What did you want to be after you left school?

        An Astronaut!

        Were you ever in trouble at school?

        I was always talking too much

        If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?

        A chef

        What's your favourite food?

        Spaghetti bolognese

Questions answered by Marcus

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