Profile – Medical Research Zone

Education

Lancaster Royal Grammar School, then Cambridge University and then UCL for a PhD
Qualifications

GCSEs and A-levels, Undergrad degree in Natural Sciences and a PhD
Work History

I did a PhD, then worked as an Explainer at the Science Museum (London) and on the Christmas Lectures (on BBC4) at the Royal Institution, then I moved to Mozambique in Africa for three years where I helped on a water and sanitation project as well as taught a short course at a small university, then I moved by to the UK and was back into research - first as a bio statistician, then into labs.
Current Job

Postdoctoral Scientist
Employer

MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology

Favourite thing to do in my job: Watching cells in my experiments glow
About Me: I'm a scientist, a dad, and a husband. I enjoy finding out new things - I suppose that's why I'm a scientist! I also love finding out new things about the world and people by discovering new places, trying new foods, and having long conversations with friends.
My Work: I try to work out why we sleep at nighttime and are awake in the daytime. I use microscopes and very sensitive cameras to see how this happens by doing experiments with cells!
My Typical Day: After I get to work on my bike, I first take my chemicals out of the fridge to warm up. Then I go and make sure that any experiments that are running overnight are still working - they sometimes crash! Then I get a coffee and look at the results of yesterday's experiments while I wait for equipment and chemicals to warm up. When everything is warm, I spend a couple of hours checking cells and setting up new experiments - things are always on the go! In the afternoon I usually do shorter jobs, like some of the steps to make new versions of genes that I can put into cells, or making new chemicals that I can use in my research. That bit is a bit like cooking - I follow lots of recipes!

Andrew Beale