Profile

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Charlotte Gale

    • About Me:

      I live in Sheffield with my husband and our hamster Oreo. My favourite hobbies are reading, baking, and playing Dungeons & Dragons!

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      I work in Sheffield, and used to study in York. I grew up in the Peak District, so I love getting outdoors in the countryside! I live with my husband and we have a hamster called Oreo, who is very friendly but doesn’t like to sit still for photographs!

      I love to read, especially fantasy and science fiction if they are fiction books, or science and history for non-fiction books. I also love to bake, play Dungeons & Dragons and other board games, and paint.

      I grew up in the Peak District, where I went to school up to A levels, then I studied a Biology degree and a Biology Master’s degree at the University of York. I am now working for a PhD degree at the University of Sheffield, which involves working in scientific research.

    • My pronouns are:

      She/her

    • How I use Science in my work:

      I use biology every day, because I am investigating what effect brain diseases have on behaviour and then zooming all the way into effects on cells.

    • My Work:

      I research brain diseases and how to cure them. People are hard to test, so I look at flies – they seem different to us but can even get the same diseases!

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      I am researching Motor Neuron Disease, which is a brain disease that can cause movement problems – a few rugby and football players have had this disease recently. I am interested in what causes the disease, and how to cure it.

      It is hard and slow to study people, so I do experiments with flies instead. They look very different to us, but have lots of similarities in their bodies, brains, and lives. They can even get the same diseases as us!

    • My Typical Day:

      In the morning, I normally sort out flies that I need for experiments, and plan what I need to do in the lab. I always have lunch with friends, then in the afternoon I often do experiments, or look at the results from work I have already done. I normally go home around 5, but my days are flexible.

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      I have breakfast and do some stretches at home before I go to work. In the morning, I normally sort out flies that I need for experiments, and plan what I need to do in the lab. I always have lunch with friends, either at work or out at a coffee shop, and it’s fun to discuss our work problems or just have a laugh! In the afternoon I often do experiments, or look at the results from work I have already done. I normally go home around 5, but my days are flexible – for example, if I need to go home early then I can start my day earlier than normal. After work, I normally go to the gym, then either relax at home with a book or spend the evening with friends.

    • What I'd do with the prize money:

      I would like to take some tools from work into a school to have an interactive Q&A session with the kids. When we had visitors to my school, I was always excited if they had something I could see or touch, and I enjoy answering people’s questions about my work and science in general.

    CV

    • Education:

      I am currently at the University of Sheffield, where I am working as a researcher for 3.5 years. At the end of my project, I will achieve a PhD qualification (and be called a doctor, but not one that you visit when you’re sick!).

      Before my PhD, I did a Biology degree at the University of York for 3 years. I also spent 1 year gaining work experience in cancer research, which my university called a Year in Industry. After this, I spent 1 more year working for a Master’s degree in Biology – this was less about studying; it was more about learning how to do research work in the lab.

      When I was younger, I went to Tansley Primary School then Highfields School, both in Derbyshire. At Highfields, I did my GSCEs and A levels.

    • Qualifications:

      • GSCEs: including Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Maths (2 years)
      • A Levels: Biology, German, Maths, Chemistry (2 years)
      • Biology degree (3 years)
      • Master’s degree in Biology (1 year)
      • PhD in Neuroscience = brain biology (3.5 years)

    • Work History:

      I spent a year doing work experience supported by my university, called a Year in Industry. During this, I worked in a cancer research lab testing new drugs, and enjoyed the work so much that it inspired me to apply for my PhD. The research wasn’t exactly the same as I am doing now, but it meant that I knew I loved doing science!

      When I had work experience opportunities before university, I still chose to try new ways of doing research because I already knew I enjoyed science. This included one summer where I worked at a zoo measuring the behaviour of their lemurs, and another where I helped a university researcher who was looking at how insects respond to different colours of light.

    • Current Job:

      I am a PhD student, which means that day to day I work as a scientific researcher. The only difference with being a student is that I have one big question I am trying to answer, and at the end of my project I need to write a report about it. Even though I am a student, I do get paid for working, and when I get my PhD I will be called a doctor! I won’t be like a doctor you would visit if you were sick; instead I will be working out the drugs and advice that those doctors can give to you.

    • Employer:

      I work at the University of Sheffield.

    • My Interview

      • How would you describe yourself in 3 words?

        reading fly-tester

        What did you want to be after you left school?

        My first job idea was a ballerina astronaut! I knew quite early that I loved science and wanted to work in biology, but I also considered writing or studying languages.

        Were you ever in trouble at school?

        Not really, I was a teacher's pet! I did get sent out of a lesson once though, because I was laughing too loudly with friends at the back of the classroom

        If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?

        If I hadn't chosen science, I wanted to study foreign languages and work as a translator or something exciting in another country

        Who is your favourite singer or band?

        I really like musicals - I still can't stop listening to K-Pop Demon Hunters, it's so catchy!

        What's your favourite food?

        Anything with chocolate

        If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!

        Be able to eat chocolate without it being bad for my body or my teeth, not get distracted when I need to work, and to always have a comfy seat to curl up in

        Tell us a joke.

        When was the tractor magic? When it turned into a field!