Profile
Fiona Macfarlane
A bit sad that today is the final day of I'm a Scientist!
My CV
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Education:
Coltness High School, North Lanarkshire (2005-2011). BSc in Mathematical Biology, University of Dundee (2011-2015). PhD in Mathematics, University of St Andrews (2015-Now)
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Qualifications:
BSc (Hons) Mathematical Biology
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Work History:
Warden at North Ledaig Caravan Park, Oban (2010-2013, summer). iGEM team member (international biological research competition) at the University of Dundee (2015). Research student and maths tutor at the University of St Andrews (2015-Now)
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Current Job:
PhD student in Mathematical Biology at the University of St Andrews
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About Me:
I am a bit of a geek and really enjoy maths and biology. I also love sci-fi and fantasy books and films. In my free time I love hillwalking, kayaking and volunteering with the Girls’ Brigade, a youth organisation.
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I am proud to be a geek, and really enjoy studying maths and biology. I have always thought science was really cool, and enjoy watching lots of science fiction and fantasy TV programmes and films. When I am not working I like to do outdoorsy things like hillwalking, kayaking and sailing. I don’t get that much free time though as I do quite a bit of volunteering with a youth organisation, the Girls’ Brigade. This involves playing games, teaching crafts and having fun with girls, primary and high school aged, one night a week. I also am part of a few local and national groups with this organisation, so help organise events for the girls involved all over Scotland. I even get to attend international events fro Girls’ Brigade in nice places like Australia, Kenya and Zambia!
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Our bodies are amazing things that do so much without us always knowing about it. The immune system is made up of different cells that can help fight off bacteria and illness in our body. If you have got better after feeling sick then that was your immune system fighting off the disease. The immune system is so powerful that it can even help fight off cancer. I use maths and computers to create simulations of how the immune system might fight cancer in different situations.
See the example simulation, where cancer cells (blue) are destroyed by immune cells (red/black)
The tumour cells (blue) are removed as the immune cells (red/black) work together to fight the tumour. With this we can test lots of different situations and see what is the best way to remove the tumour. I do this because biologists and doctors are currently looking for the best way to help boost the immune system to treat cancer. Hopefully using the immune response to fight cancer will help treat lots of patients.
Watch the video below for a 3 minute talk I did about my research!
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My Typical Day:
Usually I work on my research from 9am-5pm, and do some maths tutoring for the university students a couple days of the week.
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I usually (try to) go to the gym before going in to university. I start work around 9am, although not always thankfully my work is pretty flexible. I share an office with other mathematical biology PhD student, which is nice as we can help each other out.
On a normal day I will maybe be developing the computer simulations further or reading lots of information about cancer and ways that biologists try to understand it. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I also tutor the first year university students in maths and help them answer any questions they are stuck on. I usually take a break around 12.30pm for lunch and catch up with some of the other maths researchers. Then I go back to work until 5pm and then head home. I volunteer with a youth organisation called the Girls’ Brigade, so that keeps me busy one night a week, and sometimes at the weekends. The good thing about working with computers is that I can work from home, so I don’t have to be at the university every day.
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What I'd do with the prize money:
I would use the money to run workshops on ‘Why maths is useful’ for school groups and the general public
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Friendly, Geeky, Enthusiastic
What did you want to be after you left school?
When I was in Primary school wanted to be a fashion designer, even though I can't draw. Then I wanted to become a primary school teacher.
Were you ever in trouble at school?
I did get in trouble for laughing too much in maths class once, but I was usually quite good at school
Who is your favourite singer or band?
This is a tough question, my favourite music depends on my mood. At the moment I really like a Scottish folk/pop band called Tide Lines, but I like most music from classical to Disney to rock!
What's your favourite food?
I love pizza, but try not to eat it too much!
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
I would wish to never gain weight so I could eat lots of pizza and ice cream. Secondly, I would wish that I could be allowed to have a dog in the office, although I probably wouldn't get much work done if this was allowed! Lastly, I would wish that I could instantly go anywhere in the world, I really like travelling but I don't like flying too much.
Tell us a joke.
What did zero say to eight? Nice belt!
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