Laura Fox

"I think the 'trainer' personality type definitely fits me. As a scientist, I love learning, which includes helping others to learn too! I want to find something new, that no one has found before, and share it with everyone. I'm friendly and I like to solve problems with other scientists, which gives me the 'coach' personality type. Working with different scientists in different fields like biology, chemistry, and even nanotechnology means you get lots of different viewpoints and can come up with fantastic new ideas you wouldn't have found on your own.Because I like to work with scientists in different fields, I have to be able to explain what I do to lots of different people so that they understand. I also like to talk about my work to the general public and at schools by doing science outreach at festivals. This corresponds well with the 'influencer' trait."

"The main things I do at work are to look at other people's scientific research in a critical way and to do my own! I do experiments in labs and at specialist scientific facilities, such as synchrotrons. This work has taken me all over Europe to visit these facilities and to meet scientists from across the world. I really enjoy getting to go to conferences to learn about other scientists' research and I usually get some time to explore new cities. The last place I visited was Sofia and it was brilliant! The project I am working on at the moment is alongside a company called Lonza, to look at how their disinfectants work. I make a model of a bacteria membrane and then study the interactions. This involves a lot of hours in the lab and meetings with the company to discuss the results. As part of being a scientist, I present my research at conferences but also by writing research papers. I really enjoy how varied my job is and all the new things I get to learn every day. The starting salary for my position is ~£32k."

"In order to be a research scientist at a University, I had to spend a lot of time learning and training. I love to learn so it was mostly enjoyable, except for the exams!When I was at school I was really interested in how things worked, I would always be asking questions. I went to University to study for a degree in Physics because in Physics you spend most of your time learning how the universe works from the very small (like an atom) to the very big (like the sun). It took me 4 years to get my first degree and I decided I really loved learning about the very small. The very small things I loved to learn about were actually 'nano' sized, and so I decided I wanted to research in nano-science.I then studied and researched in nanoscience for another 4 years to obtain my PhD. The work I did was very similar to what I am doing now and I worked in my lab and office 9-5 pm. I got to travel abroad to visit other scientists and learn about their work as well as to do my own research international facilities. At the end of my PhD, I had to write research papers and a book about my research called a thesis. I then had to defend my work to other scientists so that I could finally be called Dr. Fox!Along the way, I did other part-time jobs to help fund my school and did lots of volunteering. I still volunteer and do lots of outreach to explain my science to the general public, doing science festivals, and experiments for schools.I was inspired by characters in TV programmes when I was younger, I wanted to be like the scientists I saw on TV that always had an answer or could find a solution to a problem."

"In my spare time, I love watching YouTube videos and doing Yoga. I also love playing video games, at the minute I'm obsessed with the Sims 4 and Spiderman. I love plants and have a bit of an indoor rainforest and plants on my balcony for the bees, like lavender. I even have a tattoo of a bee because I love them so much. "

"My days can be very varied but here are some examples of what I can get up to:Admin: Like most people, I spend some time replying to emails and ordering equipment and consumables I need.Reading: I usually dedicate some of my day to reading about other scientists' work. I can find out if anyone has found anything interesting that will help me with my project or just made an amazing discovery in another field.Teaching: I help teach some University workshops for undergraduates, usually in Physics, so I have to prepare for those workshops and then deliver them.Experiments: These take up most of my time, I have access to three labs in my building and lots of expensive laboratory equipment. I spend time designing my experiments and discussing them with my research group before I start.Group Meetings: Once a week I meet with my research group to discuss the progress on our current projects. This gives us a chance to see if anyone else can help us solve a problem and to learn about each other's work.Visits to my collaborators: I am currently working on a project with a company called Lonza. They are interested in improving their products so I meet with them to discuss my progress and how my work can help them.Conferences: A few times a year I travel to go to science conferences and we also host conferences where I work. I present my research and listen to talks from lots of other researchers. We usually get some time to explore the city we are visiting and have a big fancy conference dinner."

"I have A-levels in Physics, Maths, Further Maths, ICT and Photography. I really enjoy photography as a hobby and taking an A-level was a great way for me to learn new skills and explore my interest in a subject away from science.I also have a Masters degree in Physics from the University of Nottingham and a PhD in Functional Nanomaterials (Chemistry/Physics) from the University of Bristol. To do my current role I needed to be a trained scientific researcher and doing a science PhD gives you all the skills required."