• Question: what age were you when you became a scientist?

    Asked by imogen12 to MarkF, Sarah, Panos, Michael, Mark on 14 Jun 2010 in Categories: . This question was also asked by pickle, jessymoo, ajayh, racheld, dk3595, amystevenxxxx, kerrymacmillan.
    • Photo: Sarah Burl

      Sarah Burl answered on 14 Jun 2010:

      It depends what your definition of a scientist is. Some people woudln’t call you a ‘real scientist’ until you have got your PhD but others may say you are a scientist if you work in science even without a PhD.
      I always loved learning about the human body so I followed that pathway by going to university and studying Anatomy and Biochemistry but I still didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do. I also liked lots of other things as well including art so was never quite sure this was the only choice for me. I have worked in many fields in science including stem cells, cloning, genetic modification, skin diseases and now Tropical Medicine. I have also worked in business as a science consultant helping small Biotechnology companies with communicating their science to investors and media. Although I enjoyed all of these things I only really found something I knew I wanted to do for the rest of my life when I started working in Tropical Medicine which was at the age of 32. I did my PhD at the age of 35 so I am late in developing myself as a true scienctist but sometimes it takes that time to find something you really enjoy. In fact when I was at school I remember looking at a prospectus for The Liverpool School for Tropical Medicine and thought that sounded really interesting but no one else around me knew anything about it so I just ignored it. I wish I had pursued this earlier.

    • Photo: Panos Soultanas

      Panos Soultanas answered on 14 Jun 2010:

      Yes, I always wanted to be a scientist and particularly a biochemist. I was about 26 years old when I got my final PhD degree.

    • Photo: Michael Loughlin

      Michael Loughlin answered on 14 Jun 2010:

      I was 27 when i started my PhD quite late compared to some and ealry compared to others. And i think thats when i started to think of myself as a scientist

    • Photo: Mark Travis

      Mark Travis answered on 14 Jun 2010:

      Well, I did general subjects throughout school and started to specialise in science during my A-levels (I did Biology, Chemistry and Maths). This was because these were my favourite subjects, and at this stage I had no real clue that I wanted to be a scientist (just wanted to get good qualifications under my belt to be able to get a good job). Then, after A-levels I decided to go to University and again felt that science was what I was best at and enjoyed the most. So, I did a degree in Biochemistry and Genetics, which I really enjoyed. At this point I still wasn’t completely sure what I wanted to do, so went for a few different interviews based around science (for jobs in drug companies, and for PhD). I met a guy at Manchester University who seemed a really good bloke, so I decided to do a PhD with him (this is where you join a research lab, do 3 years lab work on a project then write it up in a thesis- and get to call yourself a doctor!). About a year into my PhD, I realised that I wanted to be a scientist- I really loved it and knew it was what I wanted to be. But this wasn’t until I was 22 years old!
      So, I have been interested in science since school, but I guess I have been a ‘proper’ scientist since I started my PhD- when I was 21.

    • Photo: Mark Fogg

      Mark Fogg answered on 14 Jun 2010:

      I went to university at aged 19 to do Biochemistry, but didn’t become a professional scientist until I got my PhD when I was 32. I had a gap in between getting my degree and then doing a PhD and am pleased I did, because I experienced a great deal more of life by doing so. I got to learn about how the financial system worked in my first job and I experienced how the music business works at first hand. An old friend from school and my Best Man when I got married is Professor Brian Cox, he used to be in a band called D:Ream (“Things Can Only Get Better”) and makes lots of great science programs for BBC TV and Radio, you may have seen some of them, like ‘The Wonders of The Solar System’ earlier this year.

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