Profile
Katie Stevens
My CV
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Education:
Nottingham High School for Girls (GCSE/A-level)
University of East Anglia (Masters)
Imperial College London (Current PhD) -
Qualifications:
10 GCSEs
A levels in Biology, Chemistry and Maths
Integrated Masters in Natural Sciences (Biology and Chemistry) at University of East Anglia
Currently doing a PhD! -
Work History:
When I was at School I had a part time job working at a theatre school for kids. After University I worked at the University of Cambridge as a Lab Technician for a few months where I did experiments using fruit flies. After that, I worked as a Research Assistant at the Univeristy and studied neurons in flies which are different between males and females!
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Current Job:
I am a PhD student based in London
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About Me:
I am a PhD student living in London. I love cooking, listening to music and being outdoors.
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Read more
I am interested in small proteins called histones. These can bind to DNA inside your cell and help to organise the genetic information. They are found in almost all cells with a nucleus (called eukaryotes) and are also found in some species of single celled organisms which are related to eukaryotes called Archaea. Archaea can grow in really extreme places such as hydrothermal sea vents or in really high salt!
The histones in Archaea are thought to be related to ones in our cells. However, we don’t know much about them and whether they do the same things in Archaea as they do in cells like ours. To study this, I compare the histone proteins in species of Archaea and try to understand what they might do. I look at the protein sequence and use modelling on the computer to see what the function of different histones might be.
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My Typical Day:
It varies quite a lot! Some days I spend at the computer, but others I am in the lab. When I am working at the computer, I look at protein structure and sequences to see how different they are.
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Read more
I normally get up early and take the tube across London to my work. On the tube I watch TV shows or listen to music to start my day. When I get in, the first thing I do is switch my computer on and make a list of things to do that day. Often I won’t get everything done and starting one job will lead to many more questions to answer!
A lot of my work is done on the computer, so some days I spend the whole day there either modelling proteins or looking at sequences of small proteins called histones which bind DNA. If I am in the lab, I normally do experiments to put histone proteins in E. coli to see what they do. We also grow a species of Archaea in the lab. This is really fussy and we have to make special media for it to grow in. It also can’t live with oxygen! I also help to make sure this stays alive so spend some time during the day either making media or growing the cells.
I try to leave work at 5 which means I have the evening to cook some nice food and relax.
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
A bit clumsy
What did you want to be after you left school?
I had no idea! I just knew I liked science
Were you ever in trouble at school?
Not really...
Who is your favourite singer or band?
Biffy Clyro
What's your favourite food?
Definitely lasagne
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
To be more creative and have a bit more confidence!
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