Profile
Kat Worth
My CV
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Education:
Heathside School and Sixth Form
University College London
University of Oxford
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Qualifications:
GCSEs: English, Maths, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, German, Geography, Drama, ICT, Food Technology
AS Level: Further Maths
A Levels: Maths, Biology, Chemistry
BSc: Cancer Biomedicine
MSc: Radiation Biology
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Work History:
I started work when I was 15 as a part-time customer assistant at M&S.
When I was 17, I started working as a cheerleading and gymnastics coach for kids aged as young as 6+ months old.
My favourite job was working at an American summer camp for 3 months when I was 18.
During COVID, I worked in my local Co-Op as they needed extra help to keep the shops open during these diffiuclt times.
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About Me:
Hey, I’m Kat and I’m a cancer researcher in Oxford👩🏼🔬. I really enjoy cheerleading and gymnastics 🤸🏼♀️. I like being outdoors, listening to music and playing video games with my brothers 🎮.
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Read more
I am from a small town in Surrey and grew up with 2 brothers. I went to university in London and spent 3 years living there – it was so fun having so many things to do! I now live in Oxford which is fun because I can explore all of the old buildings and colleges.
I love travelling! My favourite experience was when I worked at an American summer camp for 3 months in Maine. I also love beach holidays in the sun!
I have been a competitive cheerleader for over 10 years – I love participating in such a unique and thrilling sport. I also have been coaching cheerleading and tumbling for many years!
Favourites:
Food = 🍕
Animal = 🦓
Colour = 💜
Season = ☀️
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Cancers that have less oxygen are known as hypoxic. These regions make treating cancer really challenging so it is important to study what happens in cancer cells when they are hypoxic. My area of intest is in radiotherapy (this is when radiation is targeted directly at a tumour to kill the cells) because this is much more effective when cells are oxygenated. I am investigating the differences between normal cancer cells with oxygen and those that are hypoxic after they have been treated with radiation because this may eventually lead to more successful death of hypoxic cancer cells.
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My Typical Day:
No day is exactly the same as another – thats what makes it exciting.
BUT I usually wake up around 7:30am and aim to be in the lab around 9:00am. Some mornings we have group meetings with everyone else in the lab, or I meet with my supervisor to plan future experiments. I usually work on about 1-2 experiments per day but I often have a lot of free time in the lab in between the tasks to work on other things. All the members in my lab have lunch together every day which is fun! Most days I leave the lab at 5:00pm (or sometimes even before, if I get all my work done)!
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After I wake up, I always have breakfast and then walk to the lab – it only takes about 15 minutes but I have to walk uphill so I try and take it slow so I don’t arrive all hot and sweaty! The first thing I always do when I get to the lab is plan what I am going to do each day so I don’t forget anything. Planning experiments is really important because some can be super quick and only take 1 day whilst others can last all week. I try and get my experiments done in the morning so I can spend the time after lunch looking at results. This means I often have some free time in the lab in between the tasks, and sometimes I even get to leave early. Most of my experiments involve using pipettes and looking after my cancer cells so I can continue to use them later. I also add drugs to cells and get to use cool machines like the irradiator and the hypoxia chambers (these can control how much oxygen the cells have).
After I finish in the lab, I like to go to the gym as I find it really helps me relax if the day has been particularly busy. I like running and use my phone to watch Netflix on the treadmill so I don’t get bored. I then like to cook dinner and relax by watching some TV. I also like going out with my friends after a day in the lab and we are lucky in Oxford as we can go to formal dinners at the Oxford colleges which are so tasty!
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What I'd do with the prize money:
I would like to use the prize money to engage, educate and inspire school students to persue science by working with the public engagement committe at Oxford’s Department of Oncology to continue school visits, but also arrange for school students to visit the labs.
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
cheerleader, funny, researcher
What did you want to be after you left school?
I was unsure - I didn't really know what options were out there for people who were interested in science
Were you ever in trouble at school?
Only one detention
Who is your favourite singer or band?
Coldplay
What's your favourite food?
Pizza or ice cream (but definitely not at the same time)
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
To travel to lots of different countries, unlimited research funding and 3 more wishes...
Tell us a joke.
What happens to a frog's car if it breaks down? It gets toad away
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