Profile
Emily Southworth
My CV
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Education:
I went to school in Preston, Lancashire. My school was called Penwortham Girls’ High School. Then I went to Runshaw College which is further outside of Preston in a town called Leyland. After two years at Runshaw, I went to Newcastle University located in the north east of England.
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Qualifications:
I have 10 GCSEs, 5 As and 5 A*s (not of which are French!)
I then went onto to study for 3 A-levels in Mathematics, Biology and Geography.
Before a PhD, you need to complete 3 or 4 years at university for a degree. I did mine at Newcastle University where I studied genetics. I got a final grade of 68%!
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Work History:
I worked behind a bar and cafe while I was studying in Newcastle, as well as a student ambassador where I would talk to people interested in studying at the university.
While I was at Newcastle University, I worked for a year as a lab technician where I helped design and make diagnostic tests better. I used a lot of biological samples, such as blood and saliva, and even wee! I worked on making a COVID test that aimed to give a result in 30 minutes.
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Employer:
I study at The University of Edinburgh. Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland and is famous for how hilly it is!
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About Me:
I’m Emily and I live in Edinburgh, Scotland. I am studying for a PhD where I work in a laboratory during the day and in the evenings, I like to play football, go running and meeting up with friends. I also help run a podcast where we talk about all things science!
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Read more
We just released a podcast episode about bacteria and the drugs that help us when bacteria make us feel ill.
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My pronouns are:
she/her
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My Work:
I study at The University of Edinburgh, where I research cancer that is found in parts of the body known as the ovary and endometrium. Cancer can be hard to talk about, so don’t feel like you have to ask cancer-related questions!
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Read more
Once someone has cancer, doctors do their best to remove the tumour (what the cancer is made of) from the body. The tumour is usually placed in wax so that it can be used in the future for research, such as the work I am doing. The wax keeps DNA and proteins stable so that, when we want to look at either of them, they have not disappeared overtime.
DNA is often called the building blocks of life, because it is! Your body is made up of trillions of cells and each cell contains a code 3 billion letters long. This code, your DNA, is used by your cells to make tiny molecules needed to keep you fit and healthy. One type of these molecules is protein; while you might have heard about protein in your diet such as chicken or fish, your body infact makes its own proteins. An example of protein your body can make are antibodies; your immune system makes antibodies to attack viruses when you have an infection.
I have been looking at the DNA and proteins found in tumours from the cancer I am interested in. We have used technology known as sequencing to determine the exact genetic code of each tumour. The sequencing will tell us what is different about the DNA when we compare it to DNA from healthy organs; these differences are often known as mutations, and can be the reason why cancer has appeared, or is hard to treat.
I have also used antibodies made in a lab that have a special dye attached to them to detect whether the tumours are making certain proteins. Each lab made antibody is very specific to a protein; once the antibody attaches to the protein, the dye is turned on. A tumour usually stains brown when there is protein present.
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My Typical Day:
I wake up at around 7.30AM everyday where I will have a smoothie filled with fruit, and a cup of tea before cycling to work. I usually write a plan for each day the night before, so as soon as I get to work I look at that. Each day is different; recently I have not been in the lab but using my computer to analyse sequencing results. I meet up with friends who work on other things at lunchtime where we often discuss work as well as TV shows. I cycle back home at 5PM.
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What I'd do with the prize money:
I’d use the money to bring what we’ve learnt from the lab to as many schools as possible! It would be great to meet students in person and hopefully show how interesting genetics is
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
dog-loving cancer researcher
What did you want to be after you left school?
A genetic researcher
Were you ever in trouble at school?
Yes! Only in some subjects, notably French...
If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?
Journalist
Who is your favourite singer or band?
Taylor Swift
What's your favourite food?
Pizza
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
To trust myself, to be better at German and to sing!
Tell us a joke.
Not a joke, but a silly poem that makes me laugh: Today I saw a little worm. Wriggling on his belly. Perhaps he'd like to come inside and see what's on the telly! - Spike Milligan
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