What is it like being a scientist?
It’s usually fun because we work in groups that are sociable and motivating. The intellectual thinking part keeps our brains stimulated so we rarely get bored. We are very aware that our own work can make a big difference and that we are not simply cogs in a wheel.
What inspired you to become a scientist?
I was a keen sports player at school and became interested in the physiology and anatomy of the human body. Studying medicine and becoming a doctor was a great way of combining those scientific subjects with the art of helping people.
What is the best thing about being a scientist/ your job?
Independent thought. I hated being told what to think or do as a child.
If you could go back in time which scientist would you like to meet and what would you ask them? ?
I’d like to ask Charles Darwin whether he ever enjoyed his fact-finding cruises around the Easter Islands. It sounds like a terrific trip for scientific pursuit, but apparently he suffered from violent seasickness.
What do you do in your free time?
I am addicted to holidays. So, if I get a spare weekend then I sometimes go golfing or skiing somewhere warm/cold! Weekday evenings I like hooking up with friends for a drink or going out for a ridiculously big dinner with my wife.
What is the first science you remember doing?
I remember being fascinated by Bunsen burners in school. They glowed all different colours and we used them in practically every experiment we did. I fondly remember distilling different liquids using a Bunsen burner and a network of glass pipes that looked like a maze.
What advice would you give a school child who is interested in science?
I would advise them that opportunities for using their scientific interest in their adult life are unlimited. They can work in medicine, space, technology, nature, travel, construction, and design. The list is endless.
What’s the funniest/strangest/most surprising experience you have had in your career?
Removing a live insect from a patient’s ear. It had crawled in when they were asleep and it was making funny noises!.
What discovery or invention could you really not live without?
Evolution. Think about it……
What do you think is the most important thing yet to be discovered/invented?
A solution to global warming. We will not survive it unless we can control it.