Profile

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Jocelyn Bisson

My CV

  • Education:

    • Cowbridge Comprehensive School (GCSEs and A-Levels)
    • University of Cambridge (Vet Degree)
    • University of Edinburgh (Specialist Vet Training)

  • Qualifications:

    • GCSEs (English, Maths, Science, Religious Education, History, French, Welsh, I.T.)
    • A Levels (English Literature, Maths, Biology, Chemistry)
    • Degree (Veterinary Medicine and Intercalated Science Degree in Genetics)
    • Specialist Diploma (European Diploma in Small Animal Medical Oncology)

  • Work History:

    • General vet in Brighton
    • Intern vet in veterinary hospital in Cambridge
    • Specialist cancer vet in veterinary hospital in Edinburgh

    • About Me:

      Hi, I’m Jocelyn. I’m originally from Wales but now live in Edinburgh with my husband. I’m a vet and cancer research scientist. I love travelling, running, pilates and podcasts.

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      I grew up in Wales then moved to England for university. I qualified as a vet and worked with dogs, cats, rabbits (and the occasional seagull and bearded dragon) in Brighton. I then moved to Scotland to do my specialist training in treating cancer in cats and dogs.

      I’ve travelled all over the UK and beyond for my career so far and love how many opportunities my degree has given me. Edinburgh is a brilliant city with amazing countryside, beautiful buildings and exciting festivals – I’m not a big Irn Bru fan though!

    • Read more

      During my specialist training I quickly realised that there are still a lot of unanswered scientific questions about cancer treatment in animals and people. I decided to start a PhD so that I could go into the lab and try to answer some of these questions myself.

      My PhD project should take around 3 years to complete. I’m using cells and animal models to study the early changes in the pancreas that lead to pancreatic cancer. Hopefully more knowledge about this pathway will produce better detection mechanisms and treatments in the future.

      At the moment I only spend around 4 weeks a year in the vet clinic. However, once the PhD is complete I hope to split my time 50:50 between the clinic and the lab.

    • My Typical Day:

      I live near the lab so I’m able to walk to work which is great (except when it’s raining!). I aim to be in at around 9am. I do experiments (like looking at cells or sections of pancreas under the microscope) and talk to colleagues to get ideas for new directions for my project. I try to leave by 5.30pm.

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      One of the best things about the PhD is how much variety there is. There really isn’t a typical day.

      I often have experiments to do in the lab. These might involve work on the microscope, growing cells, making DNA or viruses, working with laboratory animals etc.

      I also spend a lot of time listening to presentations from other scientists about their work or reading scientific papers. Science is about discovery and it’s really important to find out what colleagues are doing and see if you can apply some of their techniques to try and discover new things in your own subject.

      I also spend time producing graphs, statistics and images so that I can present my work to colleagues. This work can be done remotely so if I don’t have lab experiments to do I can work from home.

      I’ve been working hard recently to improve my presentation skills and have been to several courses on presenting.

    • What I'd do with the prize money:

      I’d love to use the money to try to reach out to more students and demonstrate to them how varied a career in STEM can be and how many doors a STEM degree can open.

    • My Interview

      • How would you describe yourself in 3 words?

        Travelling vet scientist

        What did you want to be after you left school?

        A vet (from about age 16)

        Were you ever in trouble at school?

        No! I wish I'd been a bit more rebellious.

        Who is your favourite singer or band?

        The Killers - I saw them at Glastonbury and they were incredible!

        What's your favourite food?

        Crisps or Pic N Mix sweets (not very healthy or sophisticated!)

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

        Unlimited wishes! Isn't that what you should always ask the genie for?!

        Tell us a joke.

        Waiter, get me a crocodile sandwich and make it snappy!

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