Profile
Thomas Nicol
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About Me:
I am a medical researcher at Oxford University. I love hiking, gaming and reading.
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I am a medical researcher at Oxford University with an interest in the immune system, cardiac disease and mitochondria and the relationship between the three.
I live in Didcot, Oxfordshire with my partner Sara who is also a researcher and a Vet – She won imascientist a few years ago and has encouraged me to get involved ever since.
I am also:
- Junior research Fellow at Somerville College, Oxford
- Editor and outreach co-ordinator for the website research-careers.org
- A STEM ambassador
- A local ambassador for the Biochemistry Society
- A member of the Oxford metabolic health committee
- Founder of the Oxford Mitochondrial Researchers Forum
In my spare time I like to go hiking and playing playstation and PC games. I love reading, especially science fiction. I also love to travel but Covid has prevented that for the last couple of years.
I am originally from the UK, but grew up in New Zealand and did my undergraduate degree in Wellington, NZ. I have two brothers, one who lives in Swindon and works in pharmaceuticals and one who is an english teacher in Japan.
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Mitochondria supply energy for cells and how they supply this energy affects how the immune system responds to conditions in the body that can cause cardiac disease.
The cells I work on are called Macrophages and are responsible for a number of things in the body. They help to remove bacteria and clean up dead cells. When they aren’t active they prefer to use oxygen to make energy but when they sense a problem they switch to using sugars which leads to them producing a lot of checmicals that can cause damage to other cells and accelerate cardiac disease.
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My Typical Day:
There really isn’t a typical day in science.
I tend to get up around 7.30, aim to get to work around 9am. Work varies alot day to day, but most of my time is spent in the lab running experiments.
Most days I finish around 5pm, but its common to work much later.
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There really isn’t a typical day in science.
I tend to get up around 7.30, shower and aim to get to work around 9am, but my working hours are pretty flexible so many days I don’t get in to the lab until 9.30.
On Mondays we have a lab meeting where our whole group gets together to discuss our projects and how things are going. This normally last around 2 hours.
Any other day may be taken up with running experiments, looking after cells, taking samples from animals, analysing and preparing data, or even presenting work to other scientists.
As science is so variable time wise its not uncommon to work on a weekend or have to work late into the evening.
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What I'd do with the prize money:
I would really like to run some STEM engagement activities in parts of the UK that are more isolated and don’t get the opportunity to do class trips to universities or have researchers visit because they are too isolated.
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Education:
Torpoint Infant School – Torpoint, Cornwall, UK
Carbeile Junior School – Torpoint, Cornwall, UK
Adventure School – Whitby, Porirua, NZ
Papakowhai School – Papakowhai, Porirua, NZ
Adventure School (Again) – Whitby, Porirua, NZ
Kapiti College – Raumati, Paraparaumu, NZ
Victoria University of Wellington – Wellington, NZ
Open University – Harwell, Oxfordshire, UK
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Qualifications:
NCEA Level 1 (NZ Equivalent of GCSE) – English, Maths, Science, French, Hard Materials Technology, Graphic Design,
NCEA Level 2 (NZ Equivalent of AS Level) – Journalism, Maths, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Hard Materials Technology
NCEA Level 3 (NZ Equivalent of A Level) – Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Statistics and Modelling, Calculus
Bachelors degree in Biomedical Science specialising in Human Genetics
PhD in molecular biology/genetics
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Work History:
15-17 – Worked in Chocolate Factory
17-21 – Worked in a bookshop
21 – Worked in Blockbuster video store (Has anyone at school now even seen a blockbuster?)
21 – Worked in an electronics/computing store
22 – Worked for a construction company at a Naval base in Cornwall
23-29 – Medical Research Council Harwell – Research Assistant and a part time PhD
29- Present – University of Oxford – Post Doctoral Researcher
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Current Job:
Post-doctoral researcher – Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Friendly, helpful nerd
What did you want to be after you left school?
Scientist - I was torn between Biology and Chemistry
Were you ever in trouble at school?
*ALMOST* Never
Who is your favourite singer or band?
Tool
What's your favourite food?
Pizza
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
To visit every country, to visit another planet, to live long enough to see humans colonise another world.
Tell us a joke.
A polar bear walks into a bar and says to the bartender "I'll have a rum..................... and coke". The bartender says "Sure, but why the big pause?". The polar bear looks at his hands and says " I don't know, I've always had them"
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