Profile
Emily Clarke
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About Me:
My name is Emily and I live near Chester. I work at the University of Liverpool and by day I am a veterinary research scientist. Outside of the lab I enjoy running, climbing, having cuddles with my border collie, volunteering with girlguiding UK, horse riding, playing boardgames and I am a big fan of Taylor Swift !
Climbing
Bella my collie
Horse riding
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I absolutely love my job but it is very important to have work life balance and have fun too. I love going on adventures with my collie, who I rescued at 6 months old. We like going to parkrun together and exploring new places. I also love spending time horse riding, but more specifically horses. I find them really relaxing to be around and think thy are such beautiful animals. I also volunteer with girlguides- this is great as it is so much fun to tech girls new skills and let them explore new passions and interests, helping them grow in the process, which is really lovely to see.
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In more detail – I study to diseases to do with the musculoskeletal system, these are Osteoarthritis and Tendinopathies. Osteoarthritis affects joints like your knee, and tendinopathies are injuries to tendons, or a change that maeans they dont work as effectively. Both causing pain and discomfort. I look at how these occur but look at two therapies- stem cell therapy, and something called platelet rich plasma therapy. These two therapies have been shown to work really well in improving the health of patients with these conditions, however sometimes we get better responses in some horses than others. As a result my job is to work out how these therapies work and if there are ways we can make them even betterm so we get an even better response from horses with these conditions.
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My Typical Day:
I usually wake up about 6am, go for a run with my dog, get home, have breakfast and a shower, then leave for Liverpool about 8am. I get to Liverpool for about 9am, look at my emails and the plan for my day. I then start in the lab and set up my experiments for the day. Then I make a coffee and do some data analysis, have lunch and then go back to the lab in the afternoon. I usually go home about 4:30pm.
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Every day can be slightly different which is what I love about being in the lab. There is always something different to be done, and I also have meetings with my lab group, and supervisor to provide updates. As well as meeting with collaborators. These are researchers at other Universities that we work on project with together. I am also very lucky as I get to supervise students, so I am often running multiple research projects and experiments at the same time. I also get to do lost of public engagement- so I am not always in the lab! Last year I organised taking vet students to Windsor Horse Show, where we organised activities for all ages and talked to members of the public about the work we do at Liverpool. This was really rewarding as it reminded us all about the impact our work has.
The lab!
An NMR spectrometer I use to study samples
A transmission electron microscope I use
My lab group!
In the lab
The building I work in
Windsor Horse Show 2021
Windsor Horse Show
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What I'd do with the prize money:
I would love to be able to design a programme that can help bring science to youth groups- like girlguiding and scouts. To encourage uptake of STEM subjects by all, and open doors. But also help educate students about higher education and improve its accesibility for all.
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Education:
Primary School – Bidford Primary School
High School – Chipping Campden High School
Sixth form – Chipping Campden Sixth Form
University – University of Chester – Undergraduate degree- Bioveterinary Science
University – University of Liverpool – Masters degree – Musculoskeletal Biology MRes
University – University of Liverpool – PhD (current) – Equine Musculoskeletal Biology
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Qualifications:
GCSE’s – Triple Science, English languange and literature, Maths, History, German, Philosophy and Ethics. (A*-B)
A levels – Biology, Physics and History (A-B)
BSc Bioveterinary Science – First class degree with biology department award (Highest grade)
Musculoskeletal Biology Master of Research – Distinction ( Highest grade)
Equine Musculoskeletal Biology – Ongoing
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Work History:
While I was in School:
- Worked at a kennels and cattery
- Babysitter
- Waitress
While I was doing my undergraduate degree:
- Launderette
- Escape Room Games Host
- Customer assistant and a local climbing centre
While doing my PhD
- I do private online tutoring in the evenings for science
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Current Job:
Second year PhD student at the University of Liverpool.
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Running Veterinary Researcher
What did you want to be after you left school?
I wanted to be a vet - I had no idea what it meant to be a scientist!
Were you ever in trouble at school?
No
Who is your favourite singer or band?
Taylor Swift
What's your favourite food?
Pasta ... or curry!
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
1. For it to be warm all year round ! 2. Starbucks to be free forever! 3. Everyone to be happy
Tell us a joke.
I once new a mgic tractor.. it went down one lane and turned into a field ( it is a terrible joke!)
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