Fionnuala Lundy

"According to the quiz results my personality types are \"Influencer\", \"Manager\" and “Quality Controller”. I think these are reasonably accurate for my current job, which has both a research and a teaching component. I would say that “Quality Controller” fits me well – I am ‘curious’ but also ‘good at managing risk.’ I’m glad to see that being ‘fair, honest and ethical’ are also on the list! The fact that I fit the “Influencer” personality type, especially the traits of being ‘good with detail’ and ‘good at explaining so that people can understand’, are also very relevant to my job. I was surprised to see that I fit the “Manager” profile. However, the “Manager” profile is actually quite broad and includes being “motivated” and “open minded”, as well what I would consider to be more conventional managerial qualities such as understanding how to motivate others."

"My research is focused on developing non-animal models to study human disease. The diseases that I study are those associated with the mouth and the respiratory tract. Compared with research in other parts of the body, the mouth has been somewhat neglected. We study infections in the mouth and how they might lead to infections elsewhere, including in the respiratory system. I have a particular interest in understanding how nerves contribute to inflammation, following infection or trauma. It is well recognised that nerves play a role in transmitting pain to the central nervous system when a tissue is damaged. However, we have shown that nerves also have an important role in protecting the local tissue that has been damaged. There are lots of sophisticated laboratory methods to derive nerves from human cells. We use extracted human teeth, or blood samples from patients/volunteers as the source of the cells to turn into nerves. It is important for us to use human, rather than animal cells, in our research, as animal neuronal cells may not always faithfully represent their human counterparts.I really enjoy coming up with an idea and then finding out, after lots of experiments (by PhD students in the lab), that it is correct - it doesn't always work out like that, but when it does the feeling is great! "

"All my jobs have been in universities. Following my PhD studies, I remained at Queen's for a short period of time, employed as a post-doctoral Research Assistant. I then moved to a Research Officer post at Ulster University for just over two years, returning to Queen's to take up a post as a Research Fellow. Research posts are generally one to three years in duration and they allow research scientists to develop their research skills, gain experience leading/managing research projects and perhaps gain some experience at supervising more junior researchers and/or contribute to teaching. Many research scientists travel to universities in other countries to collaborate on projects and learn new laboratory techniques. As part of my job as a Research Fellow at Queen's I had the opportunity to make several research visits to Baylor, part of the Texas, A&M University system in the United States. With extensive research experience behind me, I was appointed to a Lectureship at Queen's and have subsequently been promoted to Senior Lecturer and now Reader/Associate Professor.When I was at school my Chemistry teacher, Mrs Connelly, inspired me. She was passionate about science and an enthusiastic teacher. She told us that her daughter had studied Biochemistry at university and was now travelling all over the world. I remember thinking - I would like that! As part of my job I have travelled to so many places to present my work at conferences or to speak at other universities. I really don't think I would have had the opportunity to travel so extensively if it were not for my job. "

"I am trying to learn how to bake! I dropped home economics at school to concentrate on science. I tend not to stick to recipes very well - I think it is because we have to be so precise in science that I don't want to be precise in my down time! I also enjoy gardening and have recently planted some fruit trees. Maybe I will be able to make an apple tart soon!"

"I enjoy the fact that no two days are the same. I generally have a schedule for the day and this has become even more important during the pandemic when I’ve been working from home. My typical day begins by checking my emails and responding to those that need prompt replies. I may have some undergraduate teaching sessions or alternatively, most of the day may be spent working on projects that are currently being undertaken by postgraduate students who are studying for Masters or PhD degrees. The students will arrange informal meetings with me to discuss their results or to discuss troubleshooting, if they are having problems in the lab. It is important that we present our research findings at conferences (or online conferences!) and it is also important that we publish our work in scientific journals. I will therefore spend time editing and commenting on student presentations and drafts of manuscripts that they are preparing, so that we communicate our science well to other scientists and to members of the public. A lot of my time is spent writing papers and also applying for grant funding to do further research. I also meet regularly with other colleagues to discuss ongoing and future work - a really enjoyable part of the day."

"I studied Biology, Chemistry and Physics for A-level. I then studied Biochemistry at Queen's University Belfast. On completion of my undergraduate degree, I was fortunate to be awarded a Department for Education Scholarship to pursue a PhD at Queen's. These scholarships still exist and are now funded by the Department for the Economy. Following my PhD, I stayed at Queen's for a short post-doctoral period, before joining Ulster University for over 2 years and then returning back to Queen's, where I still am!"