Profile
Charlotte Heaven
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About Me:
I live just outside Greater Manchester with my partner and dog. Outside of work I am usually found out riding my horse or out at country shows with the dog.
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I also have a horse which I see every day before and after work as well as riding several times a week and at weekends. When I’m not at work I am usually out in the countryside with the dog or the horse, often at country shows or fairs. I also quite into my cooking and am always looking up new recipes to try out. I am very passionate about locally sourced food and supporting the British farming industry.
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My pronouns are:
She/Her
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My Work:
I work in cancer research as a computational biologist, this means I’m sometimes in the lab experimenting on cells in a dish and sometimes on the computer making computer programs to predict how the body will react to radiotherapy and immunotherapy. I specifically look at how proton beam therapy is different to normal radiotherapy and how we could combine it with other treatments.
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I am what is called a computational biologist. This means that as well as being in the lab looking at cells and how they respond to radiation, I also try to create computer programs which can copy that response. Using computer programming, I create a virtual cell on a computer and then test out different treatments. This might be different amounts of radiotherapy or using radiotherapy with another treatment like chemotherapy. I can then predict what will happen to the cell and go back into the labs and see if my predictions were correct. I can talk to other scientists and doctors about my results and we can use my computer program to try to work out the best treatment plan for a patient.
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My Typical Day:
I don’t really have a typical day as every day is very varied but my day might go as follows. I wake up and go to see my horse in the morning and then get into work just after 8am where I have a large cup of coffee! I will then work on the computer in the morning, reading research papers or looking at my computer program. I may have a meeting with other scientists to discuss our findings together. At 12pm we always go for lunch together and then in the afternoon I go into the labs to do some experiments. I usually leave at 4pm, at which point I need to go back to see the horse and maybe ride before I can get home to get some dinner!
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Some weeks I might have a night time experiment. On those days I will wake up late and do a little work from home during the day. I have my dinner and then go into work at 8pm! I sort out my experiment which may take a couple of hours and make sure everything is set up because we will start the experiment at 11pm sharp. We then finish at 3am and tidy everything up and get home to get some sleep!
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What I'd do with the prize money:
I would love to throw a big engagement day for the local students where we can show them more about our research.
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Education:
I went to Manchester High School for Girls from year 7 to senior 6th form. I then went to the University of York for my undergraduate degree and did my masters and PhD at the University of Manchester.
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Qualifications:
I have 9 GCSEs including separate sciences, I got 4 A*, 4 A and 1 B. I then did Biology, Chemistry, Maths and Further Maths at A level and got 2 As and 2 Bs. I have a BSc in Cell Biology (2ii), an MSc in Bioinformatics (Distinction) and a PhD in Medicine.
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Work History:
I have taken some time out between degrees to work out what I wanted to do. After my undergraduate degree I worked in clinical trials for a year as a coordinator and then I worked in patient centred research looking at why cancer patients choose certain treatment paths. I then went and did my masters and after that I worked as a data analyst in the NHS looking at hospital wait times and bed availability.
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Current Job:
I currently work as a research associate which basically means a scientist. I am employed on a specific project so I look at what happens to DNA in the cell after irradiation.
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Employer:
University of Manchester but I have an joint contract with The Christie Hospital.
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My Interview
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What did you want to be after you left school?
A vet
Were you ever in trouble at school?
Occasionally! I wasn't very good at getting to school on time!
If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?
I would probably be a software developer. I like designing programs for people to use.
Who is your favourite singer or band?
Caravan Palace
What's your favourite food?
Pizza
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
I wish I had more money or boring things like the mortgage and bills were cheaper then I could spend my money on things I enjoy more. I wish I could get to places faster as I spend too much time in the car travelling. I wish that the UK had slightly better weather!
Tell us a joke.
Why do plants hate algebra? It gives them square roots.
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