Profile
Rachel Tanner
My CV
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Education:
I went to St Philomena’s Catholic High School for Girls in Sutton, and then did an undergraduate degree and PhD at Oxford University.
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Qualifications:
12 GCSEs, 3 A-Levels (Biology, Chemistry and Physics), BA in Biological Sciences and PhD in Clinical Medicine.
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Work History:
My first job was working on HIV vaccines, and then I moved over to tuberculosis vaccines, but I’ve always been an immunologist.
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Current Job:
TB vaccine immunologist and Lecturer in Human Sciences.
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About Me:
I like mycobacteria, horses and food
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Read more
My work is about understanding which parts of the immune system are important to protect people from TB so that we can design better vaccines. I also try to find new ways of testing vaccines so that we don’t need to use animals. One of my favourite things about being a scientist is that I get to travel all over the world to meetings and conferences! I have recently been to America, India and South Africa.
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My Typical Day:
I’m not much of a morning person, so I generally start work late and finish late – one good thing about being a scientist is that the hours are flexible! I’ll spend some of the time doing experiments in the lab, but a lot of my work these days is in an office, writing scientific articles and proposals for new projects. I also supervise students doing undergraduate or PhD degrees so I meet with them, help plan experiments, analyse data and give tutorials/lectures.
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Hard-working, caring, tired
What did you want to be after you left school?
I remember saying a medical scientist, but I don't think I really knew what they did! I've since found out..
Were you ever in trouble at school?
Mayyyybe
Who is your favourite singer or band?
Muse
What's your favourite food?
CHEESE
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
To make a major discovery that helps to improve public health, to make a difference in addressing under-represented groups at top universities and in STEM subjects, and to be happy!
Tell us a joke.
What do you call a deer with no eyes? No idea.
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