Profile

Photo:

Helen Tunbridge

Getting nervous about the evictions now!

My CV

  • Education:

    My secondary education and A Levels were at Liskeard School and Community College, finishing in 2007. I was at the University of Southampton from 2007-2011 studying biomedical science, but took a year out to work for a drugs company after my second year. Now I’m at the University of Bristol, doing a PhD, started 2011 and hoping to finish in 2015.

  • Qualifications:

    LOTS of GCSEs, ABB in biology, chemistry and theatre studies (in that order and this was before the days of A* in A levels!) I also did psychology and critical thinking at AS level. I got a 2:1 in my undergraduate degree in Southampton, and the next qualification should be a PhD, so I’ll get to be Dr. Tunbridge!!

  • Work History:

    I worked in a hotel after 6th form, and for GlaxoSmithKline (a drugs company) for a year after my second year of uni.

  • Current Job:

    My current job is my PhD! I spend all day in the lab and is halfway between being a student and ‘a real person’. I’m technically a student but it’s much more like a job than anything else.

  • Read more

    There is a new treatment for a disease called multiple sclerosis (a disease where your immune system starts attacking the brain), which changes how cells behave. This treatment makes a particular kind of white blood cell called a T cell change from being a dangerous and damaging kind of cell, to being protective kind. When this happens, the way the  T cell talks to itself (cell signalling) changes too. The way the cell talks to itself is by moving proteins around. I can watch these proteins being moved around by making them glow green. There’s a really useful protein called green fluorescent protein (which was used to make these cool green monkeys! http://www.newscientist.com/gallery/dn14895-chemistry-nobel-for-green-jellyfish-protein/4), which I stick onto the end of the protein I want to look at, so that I can see the green protein moving around in the cell which is see-through. So once I’ve made a signalling protein tagged with the green protein, I can transfer it into the T cells and make videos of them talking to themselves!

  • My Typical Day:

    There isn’t really such a thing as a ‘typical day’ for me! Depending on which day of the week it is, I have particular tasks I need to do. Monday is my busiest day, because I have to prepare for and make all the videos of my cells. Thursday is the quietest, and I spend most of it looking at the videos I made and trying to analyse them.

  • Read more

    The cells I use are from mice, so I spend quite a lot of time looking after my mice and looking after three different types of cells. I also spend a lot of time using a very fancy microscope to make the videos of the cells, and lots of time analysing the videos. I also get to chop up DNA and recombine it in different ways to add the green fluorescent protein to different kinds of protein so I can get a really clear picture of how cell signalling changes.

  • What I'd do with the prize money:

    I’d like to use the money to have some beautiful glass sculptures of cells made to take into schools.

  • My Interview

    • How would you describe yourself in 3 words?

      Chatty, excitable, SCIENTIST!!

      Were you ever in trouble at school?

      Ermmm sometimes! Usually for talking too much in class, or daydreaming. I was once sent out for being cheeky but I don’t think I ever did anything worse than that!

      Who is your favourite singer or band?

      Imogen Heap, she’s incredible. I also like contemporary folk like Bellowhead, Seth Lakeman and Stornoway

      What's your favourite food?

      Homemade spaghetti bolognese, preferably with homemade spaghetti too!

      If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!

      1) To have a successful career in science, whether that be working for a drugs company or a university. 2) For my research to make a difference to people living with multiple sclerosis. 3) To live in a house where I was allowed a cat! Renting a flat is great, but most of them don’t let you have pets :-( 3)

      Tell us a joke.

      “You know what gets on my nerves? Myelin…” (Myelin is a coating on your nerve cells and is what is attacked in multiple sclerosis! Probably not so funny if you have to explain it…. Sorry…) Also everything on this page is hilarious. Fact. http://www.buzzfeed.com/babymantis/20-spectacularly-nerdy-science-jokes-1opu

Questions answered by Helen

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