Profile

Photo:

James Harris

My CV

  • Education:

    I went to Reid Street Primary School, a small school in my home town of Darlington. I then moved to Carmel College, for both my secondary education and then stayed there for sixth form to study for my A levels.

    I did my Undergraduate degree at the University of Birmingham in Medical Science (2014-2016), before moving to Oxford University. I studied at Oxford for just over 4 years (2017-2022) to complete my DPhil – which is exactly the same as a PhD.

  • Qualifications:

    I have 10 GCSEs: Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Maths, English Language, English Literature, History, French, Music and RE.
    AS Level: Theology
    A levels: Biology, Chemistry, Maths and History
    Undergraduate: Bachelor of Medical Science, BMedSc (Hons) – University of Birmingham
    Postgraduate: Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical Medicine (DPhil) – University of Oxford

  • Work History:

    PhD Student, University of Oxford: September 2017 – January 2022

    Virology Research Fellow, University of Oxford: January 2022 –

  • Employer:

    Nuffield Department of Medicine
    University of Oxford

    • About Me:

      Virology Research Fellow at the University of Oxford, working to understand how viruses replicate in our body. Outside of science, you’ll find me playing the trombone or potting some balls at the local snooker club.

    • Read more

      I live and work in Oxford but often travel to the North East to spend time with my family. I love to cook and try to try new foods whenever I can. In my spare time I play in a brass band, and have performed at some of the finest concert venues in the world, such as The Sage Gateshead, Symphony Hall Birmingham and the Royal Albert Hall. To relax I like to go on walks, or go for a few frames of snooker with my friends.

    • My pronouns are:

      he/him

    • My Work:

      I do experiments to understand how viruses replicate in our cells when oxygen levels are low.

    • Read more

      Viruses are parasites which infect host cells. They rely on the host to provide all the cellular machinery required to allow the virus to replicate, and then spread.

      Viruses infect specific organs or cell types of the body, and I work on Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) which exclusively infects the cells of the liver. The liver is an interesting organ as it provides an environment which is not rich in oxygen, and our cells have developed ways of surviving and working in these low oxygen environments. This provides the viruses with a challenge as the host cell machinery available may be altered in these low oxygen conditions.

      I work on understanding how viruses replicate in low oxygen conditions, as this may highlight new host cell factors which could be druggable. Identification of these targets is fundamental in developing new anti-viral therapies.

    • My Typical Day:

      Typically, my morning starts with coffee and some time to catch up on emails. Then I will spend most of my time in the lab doing experiments, before heading back to my desk to analyse data and to plan what experiments to do next.

    • Read more

      I’m a big coffee drinker, so that is the first thing on my to do list for the day. I live a 15 minute walk away from my lab, so I enjoy a nice stroll into work (even when the weather is awful!).

      We have a big open office at work, where we can sit at our desks to do computer work, and chat with other lab members, discuss experiments, and most importantly – ask for help.

      We have a lot of meetings, where we will discuss projects in more details, plan big experiments, and discuss what we are going to publish in scientific papers.

      In the lab I do lots of different experiments, all of which require specific techniques and skills. It’s great to be part of a team, as everyone has their own speciality, so there is always someone to ask for help and learn from. I also spend a lot of time in the Containment Level 3 lab, where we are allowed to work on more dangerous pathogens and viruses such as Hepatitis C virus, Hepatitis B virus, HIV-1, and SARS-CoV-2.

       

    • What I'd do with the prize money:

      I want to tell school children about careers in biomedical research; medicine isn’t the only option – basic science is rewarding, exciting and challenging.

    • My Interview

      • How would you describe yourself in 3 words?

        Friendly, confident & driven

        What did you want to be after you left school?

        A medical doctor

        Were you ever in trouble at school?

        Me? Never!

        Who is your favourite singer or band?

        Queen

        What's your favourite food?

        Steak

        If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!

        I'd like a big house with a huge kitchen; a teleporting device to allow instant travel to anywhere; and to have my own research group

        Tell us a joke.

        Why did the scarecrow win an award? He was outstanding in his field.

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