What
is your PhD about?
I am trying to find out why the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa
is tolerant to cyanide.
Why do you want to find this out?
Pseudomonas aeruginosa causes severe infections in people
with cystic fibrosis and can also cause infections in people with
compromised immune systems. Not only is this bacterium tolerant
to quite high levels of cyanide, it can also make the poison. Currently
we don't fully know why it might be useful to a bacteria to make
cyanide and are interested to find out why.
Will this research have an immediate impact on patient health?
No, my research is largely fundamental, ie research aimed at understanding
how an organism works and at the moment has no immediate application
in the outside world. This may at first seem less interesting than
applied research (as I used to think before I did my degree) but
trying to understand some of the basic principles that underpin
microbial life is actually very exciting.
What got you interested in microbiology?
I originally wanted to be a veterinary surgeon and spent a number
of years doing work experience in vet's practices. This is where
I first got interested in microbiology but it wasn't until university
that I decided to make it my career.
Why did you choose your degree course?
Initially, I wanted to do a degree at an institution where there
was some flexbility about changing course after the first year if
I became more interested in another subject. I also wanted a university
outside of London, that had good facilities, good accommodation
and where the department seemed enthusiastic about undergraduates.
Cardiff fitted all those criteria. It was shear chance that I found
Cardiff has such a good reputation in microbiology. It was one of
the first modules I studied and I've never once considered changing
discipline.
What prompted your decision to do a PhD?
The ultimate factor was my final year project. I spent nearly six
months, part time, in a research lab which gave me a proper introduction
to this working environment. The enthusiasm displayed by researchers
in the lab really encouraged me to consider doing a Ph.D.
It took a while to find exactly the right project. I decided to
go for Imperial, as it had everything I was looking for and there
was the added challenge of living in London.
What aspect of your work gives you the most job satisfaction?
It's a cliché, but no two days are the same, so variety is
important. I really like working in open-plan labs where research
groups work alongside each other (7 other groups in our lab alone).
This means that you work along other scientists and are rarely on
your own. I would recommend this working environment to anyone.
Importantly, there is also the feeling of being involved in work
at the leading edge of your discipline and using up to date techniques
to advance scientific knowledge.
Have you had the opportunity to travel?
Yes, I have been to several Society
for General Microbiology meetings in the UK, which has been
possible because of the support
the Society provides its postgraduate members. SGM also helped to
fund my trip to the American
Society for Microbiology conference in New Orleans, May 2004.
This gave me a chance to travel and present my research findings
to international microbiologists.
What are your plans for the future?
I don't really know for sure. I would like to continue in academic
research after my PhD because I enjoy my work and I like the intellectual
freedom academia offers.
Realistically, there are not many positions available as principle
investigator in the academic research environment so I'll probably
have to leave university-based research at some point. This needn't
mean leaving microbiology, a big advantage of doing a PhD is that
it gives you lots of freedom to relocate to laboratories in other
countries - this is certainly tempting.
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