Read the whole of 快猫短视频鈥榮 Graduate Careers Special at Studentzone
Catch a bad guy
WHEN the phone rings, Amoret Whitaker drops everything and heads off to a crime scene at a moment鈥檚 notice. As a forensic entomologist, Whitaker researches the way bugs decompose a body and uses that information to solve crimes. Between cases she works at both London鈥檚 Natural History Museum and the Body Farm in Tennessee, where she conducts research on cadavers. The job isn鈥檛 for the faint-hearted, she warns. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e given information before you get to a crime scene, but it鈥檚 never the same as seeing it for yourself.鈥� And if police are looking for a new lead, a cadaver is taken out of the freezer, which, she says, occasionally entails 鈥渃ollecting frozen maggots off the body鈥�.
聯Sometimes it involves collecting frozen maggots off a body聰
Advertisement
Keeping a level head is crucial. 鈥淗owever many bodies you鈥檝e seen, you still have to look at each case with fresh eyes to make sure you collect all the evidence,鈥� she says. You also have to be patient as there might be a lot of standing around. 鈥淚f they are exhuming a body, for instance, you might be there all day waiting for them to get it out of the ground before you can get near it.鈥�
When Whitaker isn鈥檛 looking at maggots or decomposing bodies, she uses the morbidly glamorous nature of her job to encourage young people through the government鈥檚 campaign. 鈥淚 show them that I鈥檓 a scientist doing something exciting that is really useful to society,鈥� she says.
Cure a disease
FINDING a cure for diseases like cancer and Alzheimer鈥檚 is easier said than done. It can take decades and masses of patience. Ask anyone working in drug discovery, though, and they all say the same thing: the potential impact of success makes it worth the wait. 鈥淭here鈥檚 always the possibility that tomorrow you will make something that has a huge impact on everyone鈥檚 lives,鈥� says James Collins, who is working on cancer drugs for his PhD, which is sponsored by .
Drug discovery can vary from lab work to direct patient contact in clinical trials, and draws in graduates from a range of backgrounds. Astrophysics graduate Darren Groombridge is a case in point. 鈥淚 aspired to become an academic researcher, but then I realised I wanted to use my knowledge to benefit society more directly,鈥� he says. So he did just that, going on to work as a radiation facilities engineer at the Gray Cancer Institute at the University of Oxford.
The key to success is to address important and ambitious scientific questions 鈥� and to be persistent, says Alzheimer鈥檚 researcher Anthony Fitzpatrick at the University of Cambridge: 鈥淭he most challenging aspect of my research is that only a fraction of my ideas work. But when they do it鈥檚 the best feeling in the world.鈥�
Prevent a disaster
Back in 1969, a team of scientists discovered that a deadly micro-organism had hitched a ride to Earth on the back of a military satellite, killing every human who had the misfortune to come near it. Luckily, that鈥檚 just the plot of sci-fi thriller The Andromeda Strain. But don鈥檛 rule out the possibility just yet.
Mike Guest certainly hasn鈥檛. He works for aerospace engineers SEA. His job? Preventing any potentially dangerous Martian pathogens from wiping out us earthlings. To do that, Guest is working with the Health Protection Agency and London鈥檚 Natural History Museum to design a bio-containment facility for a capsule-return mission to Mars. That means making sure any potentially deadly strains on samples are contained, while protecting the samples to preserve them for analysis.
We have to ask though 鈥� what are the chances of this actually being used? 鈥淚t鈥檚 not massively likely that there is life on Mars, so the chances of picking up something dangerous is very low,鈥� says Guest, 鈥渂ut who knows what we might find out between now and sending a Mars return mission in, say, 20 years鈥� time.鈥�
also protects us humans, by keeping a watchful eye on some of the most dangerous storms that hit Europe. The aptly named 鈥渟ting jets鈥� result in very strong surface winds and can cause a lot of damage, says Baker, who is studying the phenomenon for her PhD at the University of Reading. 鈥淥nly a few cases have been identified so far, so the research is to identify more of them and determine what the important features of these storms are. Ultimately, the aim would be to know enough about them to predict them,鈥� Baker says.
You needn鈥檛 risk your own life chasing tornadoes in a 4脳4, either. 鈥淢y research is all computer modelling, which means things are less likely to go wrong,鈥� Baker says. 鈥淯timately, it鈥檚 something really interesting I can do with maths that has real-life implications.鈥�
Whether it鈥檚 predicting dangerous storms or preventing an alien invasion, a science degree is clearly a useful weapon against impending doom. Luke Alphey is using his to potentially save millions of people 鈥� by designing a cunning method of pest control. His company, Oxitec, uses genetically modified insects that mate with pests, but pass on a gene that kills their offspring. 鈥淚 started in academia with research on Drosophila and realised that this type of genetics could be applied to make a major difference in controlling pests all over the world,鈥� Alphey says.
His work is now moving from the lab to the field, where it will be used to control the spread of dengue fever. Developing any new technology can be frustrating at times, says Alphey. 鈥淲ith research, the vast majority of things you do don鈥檛 work,鈥� he says, 鈥渂ut we can see that we are heading towards a very real, beneficial impact.鈥�
Protect the planet
As we all know, with great power comes great responsibility. So if using your science degree to save the planet just happens to involve travelling to exotic locations, diving among beautiful corals or exploring the Amazon rainforest, then who are you to shirk your duties?
, is doing his bit for the planet by helping to protect coral reefs from the damaging effects of climate change and ocean acidification. 鈥淭he ocean is my lab,鈥� says Mumby, who spends around four months a year travelling, diving and sailing as part of his work.
鈥淪ome of the locations are really remote,鈥� he says, 鈥渟o you have to hire a boat and spend weeks sailing around.鈥� On the downside, the weather can get pretty rough, but he says the underwater scenery makes up for it: 鈥淚 look up and see manta rays and sharks swimming past.鈥� How many scientists can say the same of views from their labs? The amount of travel can be excessive, 鈥渂ut it鈥檚 more a way of life than a regular job鈥�, he explains.
Even if your main motivation for doing a PhD is to go and live somewhere exciting, you might get hooked on research. That鈥檚 what happened to , a Royal Society research fellow studying how tropical forests are responding to global environmental changes. Lewis enjoyed the two years he spent doing research in the Amazon so much, he now spends a third of the year in Africa working across 10 countries to initiate tropical forest monitoring projects.
Both Mumby and Lewis work with local communities, which means meeting different kinds of people and experiencing unfamiliar cultures. 鈥淚 meet local people and talk to them about the issues and their priorities,鈥� says Mumby, 鈥渢hen I see it translate into a reality and that鈥檚 really rewarding.鈥�
Budding conservationists should start by getting hands-on experience. Volunteer your services even if you have to save up and cover your expenses 鈥� few people will turn down free assistance, and you get to build up some invaluable field experience in return.
Making a difference in conservation doesn鈥檛 just happen at the front line. Lucy Potashnick works for work in Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique. Despite working from a UK office, her support role is crucial to overseas projects that protect dozens of species, from elephants to whale sharks. Potashnick鈥檚 organisational and time management skills are essential as she has to manage projects, budgets and consultants, while keeping up to speed with what鈥檚 happening in the field.
However you鈥檙e saving the planet, passion is essential, says Lewis, especially when in the field. 鈥淚t will see you through those difficult times where you get ill, have to spend weeks convalescing, then go back out to the forest and carry on.鈥�
And remember, Superman might make saving the planet look easy but 鈥渃onservation isn鈥檛 successful overnight鈥�, says Potashnick. 鈥淚t can take years to achieve your goals.鈥�
Save a child
MOSQUITOES and malaria are usually best avoided, but if you want to beat them, sometimes you have to join them. Ruth Ashton packed her bags and moved to Ethiopia after completing an MSc in control of infectious diseases at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. 鈥淎djusting to a new country can be tough, and however much you try, you will always stand out,鈥� she says. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 usually a positive thing. People are curious to learn about you and are incredibly hospitable.鈥�
In the capital, Addis Ababa, Ashton works with , a non-profit organisation dedicated to malaria control. Part of her job involves going into schools to collect data about malaria, which is used to inform policy-makers and optimise disease-control programmes. 鈥淭here is no typical day,鈥� she says. 鈥淲e will visit 200 rural schools in an area the size of Germany, and test 20,000 children for malaria.鈥�
Working out the logistics for four teams involves a delicate balance of priorities due to the seasonality of malaria, the transportation of all the supplies, equipment and staff, and keeping to budget. And let鈥檚 not forget negotiating the basic road network 鈥� which can be 鈥済loriously muddy鈥� 鈥� and enduring frequent power cuts.
Nonetheless, Ashton particularly enjoys this hands-on work 鈥� visiting the communities to collect data, and being able to use her skills and knowledge to directly benefit others. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a reward in itself,鈥� she says, 鈥渁nd I get to see spectacular scenery along the way.鈥�
Ashton gets paid a local rate salary, which is enough to live on comfortably in Ethiopia, 鈥渂ut wouldn鈥檛 last long in London and won鈥檛 make a dent on my student loan鈥�. The job is rewarding and fun, but you do need to be independent and resilient, as it can be tough and often requires working in demanding conditions.
If you fancy the challenge, start by getting some international work experience with an NGO or research project. And be prepared to get stuck in to the local culture. 鈥淚njera, the staple food of Ethiopia, can be the best or worst thing,鈥� says Ashton, 鈥渄epending on your liking for super-spicy stews on cold, sour pancakes. I鈥檓 rather a fan.鈥�
Go go gadget
A SUPERHERO is nothing without superpowers or impressive gizmos. Like James Bond鈥檚 gadget guru Q, 鈥淭om鈥� and 鈥淪arah鈥�, who work at the Home Office Scientific Development Branch, can鈥檛 disclose their names due to the sensitive nature of their work.
Sarah works on devices which put out flames on people, which are crucial for police officer safety. 鈥淔ortunately, this hasn鈥檛 been a major risk for police recently,鈥� Sarah says, 鈥渂ut in the past when there were riots where petrol bombs were thrown, fire extinguishers would be used to put out people that were on fire.鈥�
The ultimate aim of her job is police protection, and Sarah uses her chemistry background to design and conduct trials of the kit. The job itself is hands-on and the trials 鈥� which can involve setting fire to a mannequin with petrol and then putting out the fire 鈥� can be very exciting.
While Sarah is busy setting fire to things, Tom is equally busy 鈥渂reaking stuff鈥�. He is responsible for keeping intruders out of secure government buildings or systems, and does this by trying to destroy them first.
鈥淲e subject secure doors, locks, and safes to physical attack to make sure that they鈥檙e going to be good enough for any situation they might be put in,鈥� he explains.
An unusual application for a physics degree, but one which offers a lot of variety 鈥� between trials Tom is office based, but the trials themselves are in the field.
The real rewards come when the research gets put into practice, says Tom. 鈥淲hen we stop our first terrorist with something I鈥檝e tested, I鈥檒l be happy.鈥�
聯When we stop our first terrorist with something I鈥檝e tested, I鈥檒l be happy聰
If you prefer heroes with superpowers rather than gizmos, meet Ulf Leonhardt. It鈥檚 fair to say he gets some strange looks on telling people that he is inventing an invisibility cloak. 鈥淚 need to explain that this is not magic, but based on familiar ideas, such as optical illusions and the bending of light,鈥� he says.
Perfect invisibility is impossible in practice, but practical invisibility can be achieved using concepts like curved space, explains Leonhardt. There are other applications to the research too, like clever schemes to protect coastlines against extreme water waves. 鈥淚 like imaginative research that is inspired by stories or allegories, but is also practical. And I like that I can tell my science to my children, and they can follow the main ideas and find it cool.鈥�