Research in Genetics

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Research in Genetics

• Dr. Helena Seth-Smith
• G and L 1987-1994
• Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute
• Cambridge

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What Ill talk about...

• Science as a career
• Career structure in science
• My Ph.D. project
• The Sanger Institute
• A day in the life...
• Questions

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Science as a career
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Science as a Career
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Interesting
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Use your brain
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Continue learning
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Discover the unknown, and pursue it
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Expert in your field
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Freedom of research
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Flexible work
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Variety within work
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Active
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Not a traditional job for life
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You can travel with jobs
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You can travel with conferences
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South Africa - Kruger
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Zimbabwe Victoria Falls
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South Africa Cape Town
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Puerto Rico
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Young and varied people
- casual
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Further personal development
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You dont do it for the money
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Science has geeks
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But other professions have issues too
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Career structure in science
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Career Structure in Science(not that you have to
decide early on)
Undergraduate degree
(Professorship)
Ph.D.
Lectureship

• Postdoctoral position

Second postdoc...
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Undergraduate degree

• Format lectures and practicals

• Natural Sciences for choice of subjects

• First year cell biology, physiology, chemistry,
  maths

• Second year molecular cell biology,
  biochemistry,
• history and philosophy of science

• Third year Genetics

• Can lead to a number of careers

• Need 2.1 or above for PhD

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Ph.D.

• Format research (papers and lab work)

• Choose a subject you are interested in

• Autonomy planning

• Social life, sport, teaching ...

• Produce a MAJOR piece of work (STRESS!!)

• Useful skills for other jobs

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Postdoctoral position

• Continue in same field or choose to learn another

• Location, location, location

• 2-3 years to do publishable research

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Second postdoc...

• Ditto
• And maybe ditto again
• Find your own niche / area of interest
• Or move into industrial science

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Lectureship

• Own research group
• and teaching
• Permanent post
• More permanent location
• Fewer women

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(Professorship)

• Highest level in academia
• Head of Department

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My Ph.D. ProjectMicrobial Degradation of RDX
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Bacteria eating explosives
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Explosives are dangerous...
...to our health
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Explosive polluted sites
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Explosives in bombs
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Seeing bacteria eating explosives
Where RDX has been eaten and removed, agar is
clear
RDX makes the agar on the plate look white and
grainy
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Up close and personal
5mm
(Electron microscopes dont show orange!)
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Growth curve
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The gene I discovered
Gene..... makes... Protein
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Gene in plants
Normal, wild type plants - get sicker as they
are grown with more explosive
Plants with my gene in - healthy when grown
with explosive
more explosive in the soil
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The future
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The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute

• www.sanger.ac.uk

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The Sanger Institute
AIM To sequence and analyse genomes, for future
research on human biology and disease
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Organisms with Sequenced Genomes
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From organism to DNA...
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...to sequence
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A day in the life...
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A day in the life
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A day in the life
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A day in the life
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A day in the life
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A day in the life
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A day in the life
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A day in the life
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Conclusion

• Worthwhile career
• Plenty of time to decide
• Huge variety of research projects

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Thanks for your attention!
Slides and contact details at www.sanger.ac.uk/Us
ers/hss/

• Questions?

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DNA double helix
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My work at the Sanger Institute
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Comparing bacteria
Nice bacterium
Nasty, infectious bacterium Very similar to nice
bacterium What are the differences? Can the
genes tell us about infection?
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Name a bug after yourself!

• Walter H Burkholder
• Burkholderia cepacia
• Degrades pollutants, infects plants, infects
  human lungs, helps crops

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