Profile
Eleanor Raffan
My CV
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Education:
School 7-18: The Maynard School, Exeter.
Vet school: Edinburgh University
PhD: Cambridge University -
Qualifications:
10 GCSEs
A levels in Maths, biology, chemistry, general studies, AS Physics
BVM&S – veterinary degree
DipECVIM-CA – postgraduate exams to specialise in particular parts of veterinary medicine
PhD in the genetics of diabetes
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Work History:
2003-2004 – first opinion (GP) vet
2004 – Junior training post at Liverpool vet school
2005-2006 – first opinion vet
2006-2009 – senior training post at Cambridge vet school to become veterinary ‘consultant’
2009-2013 – PhD (back to being a student again)
2013-2017 – post-doctoral scientist in the same place as my PhD, starting up the dog genetics research
2017-now – Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Career Development Fellowship (I won this funding for my salary and research which is hard work but gives me independence)
From 2021 – I will be a Lecturer at Cambridge University
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Current Job:
Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Career Development Fellowship
I won this funding for my salary and research which is hard work but gives me independence so I work on the science myself and also supervise students and research assistants.
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About Me:
I’m a vet, a mum and a scientist studying how our genetic makeup can alter our tendency to gain weight.
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Read more
I trained as a vet and became a specialist in working on the medical problems of cats and dogs before getting the bug for research in science. I still do some work as a vet but mainly I work in a research institute that is part of Cambridge University where I study the genes that make humans and animals over-eat. At home I am mum to two small boys which means I spend a lot of time chasing pirates and clearing up mess. I play hockey for a local team. We have a very noisy cat.
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Read more
Our research starts with people’s pets – obesity is a common problem in pet dogs so we collect information and slobber from slim and overweight dogs to learn about which genes are important in controlling body weight.
We use dog slobber to extract DNA in a ‘proper’ research lab (lots of white surfaces and fancy kit) using cutting edge techniques to find out about the genetic variation that causes some dogs to gain weight when others stay lean. A lot of my work is at a computer – the data we generate needs to be analysed using computer programs that allow us to focus on the genes of interest.
Once we have found genetic variants which are associated with obesity we study them in the lab (cells in plastic dishes, transferring small volumes of clear colourless liquid) and in real dogs. People bring their pet dogs in to be tested for how they behave around food and how much energy they use up during daily life. Those experiments are quite fun!
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My Typical Day:
Really? I spend most of my day at my computer or in meetings. That might sound a bit boring but what I’m really doing is working on science puzzles – either thinking about how we can find something out, or working out what the results of our experiments mean. That’s fun.
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Read more
I usually spend most of my day in an office. I run a small team of scientists so I help them plan their work and spend a lot of time organising new projects, writing papers to share the work we’ve done with other scientists and applying for money to do more science. That might sound a bit dull but I like it because I am always focussing on how to learn more about how our bodies work.
I really enjoy meetings with the people I work with to discuss our projects. It’s sometimes very difficult to work out what the results mean, or how to do the next experiment and I like working to solve those problems with someone else.
Sometimes I actually ‘do science’ myself – usually by writing code that gets the computer to ask questions about the genes that are important in regulating how much animals eat. I sometimes work with actual dogs to study how they eat and how much energy they burn up every day – it’s lovely to be able to play with dogs and call it work!
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Busy. Interested. Happy.
What did you want to be after you left school?
A vet
Were you ever in trouble at school?
Quite a lot for being rubbish at getting stuff done on time, but nothing major.
Who is your favourite singer or band?
Gerry Cinnamon right now.
What's your favourite food?
Roast lamb
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
To be better at focussing on the moment. To be braver about trying something new. To find food less appealing.
Tell us a joke.
How do elephants hide in cherry trees? They paint their toenails red.
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