Profile
Lucy Kelly
My CV
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Education:
I went to primary and secondary school in a town called Warrington. I went to college in St Helens then did a degree in Microbiology at the University of Manchester. I wanted to have a career in research so applied for lots of PhD openings, but wasn’t accepted to any of them. After this, I decided to do a Master’s by Research at the University of Warwick and liked it so much I applied for a PhD here and was accepted onto the project I am doing now!
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Qualifications:
GCSEs: 13 including Biology, Chemistry, Physics, English, Maths, Psychology and Health and Social Care.
A-levels: Biology, Chemistry, Maths and Psychology.
Undergraduate degree: BSc Microbiology with Industrial Experience.
MScR: Synthetic Biology. -
Work History:
I started waitressing in a local pub when I was 16 until I went to university when I was 18. When I was at university in Manchester I had a job as a student ambassador where I got to show people round the university and answer any questions they had about the course or living here. During my first degree I did an ‘industrial placement’ year where I got to take a year out of my course to work at a food research centre.
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Current Job:
I am a PhD student at the University of Warwick, which is my full-time job. For extra money I also work as an invigilator for student exams.
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About Me:
I’m Lucy and I’m a PhD student at the University of Warwick.
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I live in Rugby with my boyfriend in a flat which has now become overrun with houseplants! I grew up in the North West of England and moved to the Midlands a few years ago to start my master’s degree at Warwick University.
I love to read, cook, spend time outdoors and this is what I usually do when I am not working! I also love to travel and plan on spending a year or two seeing the word after I have finished my PhD, hopefully in a camper van.
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Read more
We use antibiotics to kill bacteria that make you sick, you might have even had these for things like ear infections. Harmful bacteria are starting to be resistant to antibiotics, meaning that the antibiotics can’t kill the bugs any more. This means we need a new way to get rid of the bad bacteria and that’s what I’m working on!
I’m researching something called a bacteriophage, or phage, (which means bacteria-eater) which acts like a tiny grenade and explodes the bacteria from the inside.
You can see this in the the picture below which shows clear circles where the phage have killed the bacteria.
I work on phage which attack bacteria causing serious lung infections, called Klebsiella. At the moment I am looking at making a mixture of phages (called a phage cocktail) which could be given as a treatment to kill Klebsiella. The next part of my research will test this cocktail in different systems, like sewage, lab-grown human cells and moth larvae. This will help us to see if the phage cocktail I have made looks like it will tackle real human Klebsiella infections.
When grown on specific nutrients Klebsiella can look yellow or pink like you can see here.
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My Typical Day:
I wake up early at 6:30, eat breakfast and have a coffee, then head to work. I spend most of my time in the lab doing experiments trying to kill harmful bacteria! If I’m not in the lab I will be in my office analysing data, making presentations and going to lab meetings. After work I either head to the gym or go home, cook dinner and catch up on Netflix.
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I wake up at 6:30 and have coffee and my breakfast before my hour-long travel to work. Once at work, I start my day by planning my experiments (with another coffee) and then head to the lab. A typical day in the lab looks like me growing some Klebsiella bacteria, adding different phages and seeing if the bacteria are killed. In between experiments I am usually in my office analysing data I’ve collected and making a presentation so that I can show other people my work. Often I also have a lab meeting or seminar to attend around lunch time, which means I get to learn about all the other exciting research taking place at my university. After lunch, I get back into the lab and finish off my experiments for the day. I normally leave work between 5:00 and 5:30, meet my friends and head to a gym class with them.
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What I'd do with the prize money:
I’d like to run a workshop for school children to involve them in antibiotic resistance and what we can do to stop it.
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Kind, hard-working and curious.
What did you want to be after you left school?
This changed often! First I wanted to be a vet, then a midwife and finally a scientist.
Were you ever in trouble at school?
Occasionally when I forgot to do my homework.
Who is your favourite singer or band?
ABBA!
What's your favourite food?
Pizza.
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
Have lots of dogs, travel the world and win the lottery.
Tell us a joke.
What do you call a fake noodle? An impasta!
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