Profile
Emily Graves
My CV
-
Education:
Christopher Whitehead Language College, Worcester (GCSEs),
Worcester Sixth Form College (A Levels),
University of York (BSc),
King’s College London (MSc),
University of Sheffield (PhD in progress!) -
Qualifications:
13 GCSEs: Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Maths, English Lit and Lang, Spanish, French, History, Geography, Graphic design, Combined science and advanced science.
AS Level: French,
A Levels: Biology, Chemistry, Maths,
BSc (Hons) in Biology,
MSc in Neuroscience,
PhD in Neuroscience -
Work History:
Student Ambassador at University of York/University of Sheffield,
Waitress,
Bartender -
Current Job:
PhD Student!
-
About Me:
Hi! I’m Emily and I’m a neuroscience PhD student. π§ β€ I love animals and in my spare time I enjoy being out in the countryside, musicals and spending time with my friends and family. πββοΈπ΄ββοΈπΊπ
-
Read more
I’m currently in the third year of my PhD, but I’ve also recently done an internship at a company in Cambridge to see what it was like to work in science but outside of the lab.
I’ve lived in Sheffield since the start of my PhD in 2017 and I love it! I really enjoy being so close to the Peak District and being able to go out on the weekends for walks finished by a good meal at a countryside pub! There is also an Alpaca Farm where you can feed the Alpaca’s which is always a great way to spend a morning.
In my free time I really enjoy going to see Musicals – In February I saw Hamilton which I’m still listening to now! I also play the clarinet in one of the University bands.
-
Read more
Neurodegenerative diseases are caused by neurons dying. My work focusses more specifically on Motor neuron diseases, which are a group of diseases where the motor neurons (cells which control movement) die. This means that movement for the patient becomes more and more difficult over time.
I am looking at a gene which can cause a variety of different motor neuron diseases when it contains a mistake in its genetic code. This gene (Gle1) is important in the process of making proteins from DNA, as it helps to move RNA (a copy of the DNA which helps produce proteins) from the nucleus of the cell into the cytoplasm. This is where the cells machinery for protein production (or Translation) is stored and so the correct protein can be made. When the Gle1 gene is slightly changed, this process cannot happen properly and so the cell becomes unhappy and dies.
-
My Typical Day:
In science there is rarely a ‘typical’ day! I work with cells which need looking after and feeding (kind of like a pet!), so my week revolves around when they are ready to be used for experiments. I usually start my day at 9, and head straight to the lab for most of the day. Experiments are mixed in with coffee with my friends, working from my desk in the office, eating lunch and anything else which might come up! At around 6pm, I finish up and head home for dinner and relaxing!
-
Read more
In science there is rarely a ‘typical’ day! I work with cells which need looking after and feeding (kind of like a pet!), so my week revolves around when they are ready to be used for experiments. A few times a week I head out in the morning for a run which gets me ready for the day! I then get to the lab for between 9 to 9.30 where I can be doing anything from staining cells fluorescent colours, looking at these on a microscope, extracting DNA, looking at protein levels or lots more! In between experiments I go for a morning coffee with my fellow PhD students to catch up on everything and anything.
After lunch – which is usually home-made but if I’m treating myself it’s an amazing chicken and halloumi wrap from a local cafe – it’s back to the lab! Usually this involves finishing any experiments which had been started in the morning but some can take up to 3 days! So usually we have a few different things on the go at once, which can sometimes take some careful planning to make sure everything is done by home time! Luckily most experiments have long periods where we just have to wait for them to do their thing, which makes juggling a few at once much easier.
I wrap my day up by doing some desk work, this can be just as varied as the lab work. On any day I could be reading papers, analysing data, making a poster/presentation, or writing up everything I’ve done in my lab book and sticking in any results which I may have produced that day. This helps me to plan for the next day and work out what still needs to be done.
Then usually at around 6 I head home to relax with my housemates, cook some tea and watch some Netflix.
-
My Interview
-
How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Friendly, dependable, organised
What did you want to be after you left school?
I had no idea, it changed weekly! Anything from being a journalist to a doctor.
Who is your favourite singer or band?
Florence and the Machine or Taylor Swift
Tell us a joke.
How do a group of penguins come to a decision? Flipper coin
-