Profile
Emmajay Sutherland
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About Me:
I’m from the Central Belt area of Scotland but now I live in Dundee with my partner. I’m a PhD research scientist 👩🔬 but in my spare time, I love reading books about Greek mythology and baking sweet treats🍪
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My pronouns are:
she/her
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My Work:
I’m a PhD student using enzymes found in nature to make drugs which could treat cancer.
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Read more
Enzymes are catalysts that make reactions go faster by lowering the energy required to reach product (I.e. making it easier for the reaction to go). Enzymes are actually found all around us in nature, for example in small organisms like bacteria. These enzymes make lots of different products that help the organism to attack or defend itself against its surroundings. These molecules could be interesting to us and potentially useful for things like antibiotics or could even treat cancer. We don’t know much about the enzymes that make the molecules so I’ve been working on some to understand what they make and how they work. If we know more about the enzymes then we can use them to our advantage in future!
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My Typical Day:
I get to work for 7:30 am where I have some cereal and read a chapter of my book before starting any work (breakfast is key of course!) Every day is different as a scientist – sometimes you can be in the lab all day doing experiments or attending presentations by other scientists and learning about their work. There is always lots to do but I try to make time to eat lunch with my lab mates around 12-1pm. I try not to start anything too hard in the afternoon and I like to leave around 5pm, normally when I get hungry for dinner.
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What I'd do with the prize money:
A project created by my supervisor works with schools to investigate the properties of their soil and look for bioactive molecules that are naturally found around us. I’d use the prize money to travel around Scotland and gather more diverse soil types with the help of the nearby schools.
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Education:
I went to Dalziel High School (Motherwell) before attending Heriot-Watt University (Edinburgh) for my undergraduate Masters degree. I now go to the University of St Andrews for my PhD degree which I will graduate from this year!
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Qualifications:
High School Qualifications:
- Standard Grades (now National 5): English, Maths, Chemistry, Physics, History, Computing, Graphic communication, French
- Higher: Chemistry, Physics, Maths, English, History, Biology
- Advanced Higher: Chemistry and Maths
University Qualifications:
- Undergraduate Masters degree in Chemistry with Industrial Experience
- PhD in Biochemistry (I hope to graduate this summer!)
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Work History:
During my undergraduate degree, I used to work in a shoe shop and then I became a steward for gigs and sports events which meant I got to sneakily watch the act for free! As PhD student, I get paid to do science so I don’t have to work a part-time job now.
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Current Job:
PhD student
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Employer:
University of St Andrews
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Cake-baking biochemist
What did you want to be after you left school?
I wanted to be an astronaut but I get travel sick on the bus so I don't think I'd be a very good one 😶
Were you ever in trouble at school?
Not very often but only for talking in class 😅
If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?
I would love to be an ice cream flavour tester!
Who is your favourite singer or band?
It has to be Taylor Swift!!
What's your favourite food?
I do bake a lot so I'd say cake has to be my favourite
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
1. The ability to travel anywhere. 2. Lots of pets, the more the merrier! 3. Get a job where I'm happy
Tell us a joke.
What did the ocean say to the sand? Nothing, it just waved
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