How I Became A Scientist (and what does that even mean?) Kirstie Whitaker, PhD Department of Psychiatry University of Cambridge

A brief CV A-levels in Maths, Further Maths, Physics, Chemistry and General Studies BSc in Physics from University of Bristol MSc in Medical Physics from University of British Columbia Funded by a Commonwealth Fellowship PhD in Neuroscience from University of California at Berkeley Funded by a Fulbright Scholarship Postdoctoral Fellow in Department of Psychiatry at University of Cambridge A-levelsBScMScPhDPostdocQ & A How I became a scientist (and what does that even mean?)

Senior School

Withington Girls’ School Independent school in Manchester A-levels: Maths, Further Maths, Physics, Chemistry Extracurricular activities: choir, drama, dance, orchestra A-levelsBScMScPhDPostdocQ & A How I became a scientist (and what does that even mean?)

Undergraduate (BSc)

University of Bristol BSc in Physics Extracurricular activities: bar manager, dance teacher, pantomime performer Lectures and labs Lived in halls for 2 years, with friends for final year A-levelsBScMScPhDPostdocQ & A How I became a scientist (and what does that even mean?)

University of Bristol Dissertation: “Do information effects cause cancer?” Melatonin is an anti-oxidant, if it is depleted then DNA is vulnerable to oxidative stress Receptors in the eye detect light-at-night Particularly affects shift-workers A-levelsBScMScPhDPostdocQ & A How I became a scientist (and what does that even mean?)

Graduate (MSc)

University of British Columbia MSc in Medical Physics Radiation therapy Positron emission therapy Magnetic resonance imaging Classes and research Funded by a commonwealth scholarship Extra-curricular activities: skiing and exploring A-levelsBScMScPhDPostdocQ & A How I became a scientist (and what does that even mean?)

A-levelsBScMScPhDPostdocQ & A How I became a scientist (and what does that even mean?)

University of British Columbia 3 years on a 2 year program! Interest in neuroscience Thesis: “Quantifying development: Investigating highly myelinated voxels in preadolescent corpus callosum” Measured myelin – the fatty sheath that insulates axons A-levelsBScMScPhDPostdocQ & A How I became a scientist (and what does that even mean?)

Graduate (PhD)

University of California at Berkeley PhD in Neuroscience Classes and research Teaching undergraduates Presenting research Funded by a Fulbright scholarship Extra-curricular activities: skiing, cycling, more exploring and science outreach A-levelsBScMScPhDPostdocQ & A How I became a scientist (and what does that even mean?)

University of California at Berkeley Thesis: “Individual differences in white matter integrity: Linking brain structure to cognition in children and adults” A-levelsBScMScPhDPostdocQ & A How I became a scientist (and what does that even mean?)

University of California at Berkeley Science outreach: one of the most fun parts of my career A-levelsBScMScPhDPostdocQ & A How I became a scientist (and what does that even mean?)

The importance of studying abroad Friendships Exploration Courage Adventure Creativity Seeing things from another perspective Learning more about your own country and culture You return an entirely different person A-levelsBScMScPhDPostdocQ & A How I became a scientist (and what does that even mean?)

My first job (PostDoc)

University of Cambridge A-levelsBScMScPhDPostdocQ & A How I became a scientist (and what does that even mean?) Postdoctoral fellow in Department of Psychiatry Study the emergence of mental health disorders No more classes, but lots of talks

University of Cambridge A-levelsBScMScPhDPostdocQ & A How I became a scientist (and what does that even mean?) Differences in brain development between adolescents who have a diagnosis of depression and those who do not Follow these participants through therapy and see if their brain changes

University of Cambridge A-levelsBScMScPhDPostdocQ & A How I became a scientist (and what does that even mean?) On any day I may: Write computer code Read journal papers Meet with my colleagues and collaborators Present my work Write up my results Make figures Calculate statistics Tear my hair out

University of Cambridge A-levelsBScMScPhDPostdocQ & A How I became a scientist (and what does that even mean?) But every day I get to think I make a difference with my work I spend my days with inspiring people Every day is different

Questions (& Answers)

What do you wish you’d known when you were in sixth form? A-levelsBScMScPhDPostdocQ & A How I became a scientist (and what does that even mean?)

Thank you!

Any Questions?