Profile
Alison Hughes
My CV
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Education:
2004-2010 Sacred Heart School, Co. Offaly, Ireland. 2011-2015 National University of Ireland, Galway. 2015-2017 University of South Florida, United States. 2017-present University of Strathclyde, Scotland.
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Qualifications:
Bachelor of Science (honours)
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Work History:
Malta – cancer research, Galway – synthetic chemistry, Florida – teaching and marine chemistry (Floridian and Antarctic), Scotland – marine biotechnology
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Current Job:
1st year PhD student
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About Me:
I am a 26-year old Irish PhD student crazy about all things science, rugby, and nature
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I am from the home of Tullamore D.E.W. whiskey in co. Offaly, Ireland, where my family still lives. I have lived in various places in Ireland, Malta, Florida, and now Scotland. I love playing and watching rugby (hon Leinster!) and am eternally hungry. I feel most at peace when surrounded by water and nature, so I enjoy taking trips to places of natural beauty. I have been diving in Cuba, spent a night in the Sahara desert, and floated down the rainbow river in Florida. My greatest passion is traveling, and science has allowed me to do a lot of it and meet some fantastic people from different countries and cultures. The worst thing about living away from home is not seeing my 2 dogs, Jack and Penny, and my 2 cats, Muffin and Lala.
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My research focuses on utilising microalgae for biotechnology applications. They have massive potential as biofuels, feedstocks, and pharmaceuticals/nutraceuticals, but are expensive to scale on an industrial level since they are photosynthetic and require light input. My PhD will investigate the effect of various environmental stressors (nutrients, light, pH, etc) on the metabolism of marine microalgal strains. This will be achieved using mass spectrometry and molecular networking, with a focus on finding new antimicrobial compounds.
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My Typical Day:
Lab in the morning, office in the afternoon
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I will begin my day around 9:30-10 AM. Depending on where I am in my experiment, I will either be measuring the growth of my cultures, extracting my cultures with organic solvent, or performing antimicrobial bioassays of these extracts. I will usually finish lab work before lunch, unless I am using the mass spectrometer. After lunch, I will answer e-mails, read papers, or write report/papers. Currently I have a university report and two publication deadlines upcoming. Work usually finishes around 5:30, after which I will either play football with lab mates or return home to relax by listening to podcasts or crafting.
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What I'd do with the prize money:
Equip the lab for outreach activities
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Chatty, enthusiastic, Irish
What did you want to be after you left school?
At first, a psychologist because I wanted to help people but couldn't handle blood. Then I wanted to do forensics before deciding to do general science and figuring it out from there.
Were you ever in trouble at school?
I got away with a lot at school because I was quiet, but I was pretty bold
Who is your favourite singer or band?
Lianne Le Havas/ Hermitage Green
What's your favourite food?
Roast beef Sunday dinner
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
Travel the world, meet every species of animal, dive somewhere no one has ever visited before
Tell us a joke.
What's pink and fluffy?...pink fluff....what's blue and fluffy?....pink fluff holding its breath
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