Profile
Ellie Pring
My CV
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Education:
The Woodroffe School in Lyme Regis, Dorset.
University of Bath- studied Pharmacology (study of drugs and drug receptors) with placement year.
Placement year working for a small Biotech company in Cambridge called Kymab. They make antibody therapies for cancer, infection and autoimmune diseases.
Then started my PhD in Cardiff at the School of medicine in the Infection and Immunity division. -
Qualifications:
GCSEs-10As, 3A*s (I can’t remember what was what- as long as you get decent enough grades in important subjects it doesn’t really matter!)
A levels- History A, Biology A, Chemistry B, AS Maths B
2:1 MPharmacology with professional placement year from University of Bath -
Work History:
Working on the farm!
Waitressing on Saturdays/during school and uni holidays
Working as an industrial placement student at a scientific company which produces therapies for immune diseases. -
Current Job:
Now I’m a PhD student! (Not really a proper student as I get paid and no exams). Basically it’s a position for 3 or 4 years where you learn how to become an independent scientist. I described it to my Dad as something like an apprenticeship for scientists.
At the end of this period I must produce a thesis which is a big book containing all the things I have discovered. Once this is complete I give it to 2 expert scientists who question me for a few hours on what I have done. After all this I get to call myself Dr Pring which I think is pretty cool…
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About Me:
I’m a PhD research scientist interested in viruses and the immune system! I love ballroom and latin dancing and enjoying the outdoors!
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Read more
Hi I’m Ellie and I’m a PhD scientist at Cardiff University. In my spare time I enjoy Latin and Ballroom dancing which has made me travel all over the country including to the winter gardens in Blackpool! I grew up on a farm in Devon so love going for long walks in the Welsh countryside!
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Read more
This is me in my lab at 9pm on a Friday night (there’s not much else to do on Friday nights anymore). But don’t worry working in a lab isn’t always this tough!
My PhD project is focussed on how natural killer cells work. These cells are important components of your body’s immediate response to infection from viruses, bacteria and cancerous cells. I am mainly looking at infection from a virus known as cytomegalovirus which is found in around 50% of the population. Don’t worry though this virus isn’t usually harmful in healthy people but causes issues for those who have problems with their immune systems. In most cases this virus causes problems when mothers are infected during pregnancy and for organ transplant recipients. I’ve found a new gene in these natural killer cells which appears to be really important for controlling cytomegalovirus infection which is pretty cool! This gene is also likely to be important for other infections (including SARS-CoV-2) and cancer.
Lots of people in my lab are now working on coronavirus and I’ve been helping to write reviews of all the current scientific studies so would be happy to help with your questions on this!
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My Typical Day:
-Planning experiments
-Doing experiments in the lab
-Analysing data from the experiments
-Reading published scientific papers
-Meeting and chatting with young people to inspire them! -
Read more
-Planning experiments i.e. making sure I have everything I need!
-Doing experiments in the lab i.e. growing cells, looking at samples down a microscope, working with animal and human tissue, adding markers to tissue to find out what receptors and genes are present on them.
-Analysing data which is often more exciting than it sounds as this is when you find out if you experiment worked (or not in may cases!)
-Reading scientific papers to understand what the consensus is in your field or to get ideas and help with planning new experiments.
-Meetings with my supervisor who helps me work out which experiments to do!-Presenting all the things I’ve found in my experiments to other scientists
-Writing about all the things I have found
-Engaging with young people to inspire them! -
My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Hard-working, passionate, outgoing
What did you want to be after you left school?
Something to do with science but wasn't sure what!
Were you ever in trouble at school?
Rarely!
Who is your favourite singer or band?
Lady Gaga/Beyonce
What's your favourite food?
I LOVE ALL FOOD SILLY QUESTION
Tell us a joke.
Why did the golfer wear two pairs of pants? In case he got a hole in one!
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