Profile
Shaline Fazal
My CV
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Education:
Primary school- Tanga International School (Tanzania)
Secondary school- Sutton High School
Neuroscience bachelors degree- University College London
Neuroscience PhD- University College London
Post-doctoral research- University of Cambridge/Astrazeneca -
Qualifications:
GCSEs, A-levels, BSc, PhD
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Work History:
Research Assistant in the Jessen/Mirsky lab at University College London
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Current Job:
Research Associate at the University of Cambridge
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About Me:
I am a bubbly and very sociable neuroscientist who enjoys spending time with my friends. I enjoy running, swimming and playing badminton
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I am an only child. I have been living in Cambridge for almost 3 years, where I do my current research at the John van Geest Centre for Brain Repair. I grew up in Tanzania before moving to the UK when I was 11 to study. My favourite food is anything that has pasta in it. If I am not out running or socialising with friends, I enjoy watching TV and cooking.
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Our bodies are made up of millions of tiny cells, which we cannot see with just our eyes, but need to use a microscope (a way of making things look bigger). Our bodies have a special group of cells called immune cells that are like an army of soldiers to protect us from bad things when they enter the body. I try to understand how these immune cells might be involved in spreading the bad form of the protein called huntingtin which is what causes brain cells to break down in Huntington’s disease. I use cells growing in a dish to see how medicines might be used to help slow down the break down of the brain cells.
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My Typical Day:
I usually wake up at 6am, and aim to be at work by 7.30-8am. I then head to the laboratory to firstly check on how the cells in the dish are growing. Many days during the weeks I have scheduled meetings, so these can usually take place mid morning and last until lunchtime. What is great about my working life is that no day is ever the same!
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I get to the laboratory between 7.30-8am and when I arrive the first thing I do is check how the cells in the dish are growing. If the cells are ok, I add a mixture of ingredients (factors) that help keep them growing, otherwise I add some other factors to see how the cells change. If I am not in meetings with other colleagues, then I spend most of my day in a special room where we keep the dishes of cells growing in safe place. The best thing about doing experiments in the laboratory is that not a single day is the same!
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Approachable, Hard-working, Enthusiastic
What did you want to be after you left school?
Doctor
Were you ever in trouble at school?
No
Who is your favourite singer or band?
The Rolling Stones
What's your favourite food?
Lasagne
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
Have a house in the south of France with a vineyard, a scientific breakthrough, be a professional swimmer
Tell us a joke.
Knock, knock. Who's there? Shaline. Shaline know? You just read about me.
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