Student representatives
If you have an informal query, you may prefer contacting a student rep, based at your local institution.
Our 2014 student representatives are...
For Aberdeen:
Holly Corrigall at h.corrigall.13@aberdeen.ac.uk
Personal note: Hi there! I am currently studying for my PhD at the University of Aberdeen as part of the EASTBIO doctoral training partnership. My project involves using synthetic biology for real-time monitoring and optimisation of the yeast microbial cell factory. I’m hoping to design novel synthetic circuits which can diagnose and then signal the nature of translation system dysfunction caused by high expression of heterologous proteins. Previous to this, I studied at the University of Dundee where I gained my undergraduate degree in Forensic Anthropology. I then undertook an internship studying NanoBiology at the Institute of Medical Science and Technology in Dundee before completing a Master’s degree in Systems and Synthetic Biology at the University of Aberdeen. I spend my spare time looking after my horse and socialising with friends. Please feel free to drop me an e-mail if you would like to meet up or have a chat, I would be more than happy to discuss any queries you may have.
For Dundee:
Alex Finney at a.j.finney@dundee.ac.uk
Personal note: Hello, I was born near Liverpool and then moved south to complete my GCSE’s and A-levels before starting my Undergraduate degree at the University of Dundee in Molecular Biology. I am staying in Dundee to complete my PhD in the division of Molecular Microbiology (MMB) looking into how bacteria can be utilised to address current worldwide problems. Outside of the lab I like to be particularly social and enjoy sports like football, badminton, golf and anything a bit new! Any problems, you have my email.
John Allan at j.h.allan@dundee.ac.uk
For Edinburgh:
Stevie Bain at s.a.bain@sms.ed.ac.uk
Personal note: Hi! I’m a PhD student at the University of Edinburgh’s Institute of Evolutionary Biology. During my 4-year undergraduate degree at the University of Dundee I had an interest in sexual reproduction and its variability across life and this formed the basis of my Honours Project. Throughout my 4 years at Edinburgh, I will be investigating the epigenetic machinery underlying the phenomenon of paternal genome elimination, an example of asymmetric reproduction, in the citrus mealybug. In my spare time I enjoy being active and love to travel. A healthy combination of yoga and Netflix keeps me calm when the workload gets a bit stressful!
Reserve:
Iain Hunter at s0909175@sms.ed.ac.uk
For Edinburgh, Roslin:
Amy Fraser at amy.fraser@roslin.ed.ac.uk
Personal note: Hi! I’m Amy, a student at the Roslin Institute, Edinburgh University. My PhD is aimed at better understanding the function and localisation of Talpid3 protein. Talpid3 is a centrosomal protein, which plays a role in centrosome orientation and migration, and in ciliogenesis and Hedgehog pathway signal transduction. Outside of the lab I enjoy cooking, running, music and socialising. If you have any suggestions, problems, queries or just fancy a chat come find me or drop me an email!
For St Andrews:
David Walker at djw23@st-andrews.ac.uk
Personal note: I graduated in 2008 with an honours degree in Zoology from the University of Dundee. Up until the start of my PhD, I worked as a research technician in laboratories at the University of Dundee during which I also carried out an MSc research project. My PhD is looking at how stress impacts on cognitive ageing throughout different stages of life. I am particularly interested in which molecular mechanisms and gene expression programs are implicated in the neuroendocrine processes. What attracted me to this project is the opportunity to combine both my zoological and biochemical interests into an exciting project that has potential far-reaching implications and scope for collaboration. I hope to use my PhD to further my career in academia by becoming a lecturer and independent researcher and I believe the EASTBIO DTP programme provides an excellent platform for me to achieve this. I am married with two young daughters who always keep me on my toes! My other interests include sport (mainly football, formula 1 and wrestling), video games and watching TV shows/movies (mainly The Walking Dead!). I feel privileged to be the EASTBIO 2014 rep for St Andrews and I am happy to answer any questions or chat about the programme.
For details of the 2013 student reps, who will be helping out, click here.
