Meet the finalists

Nick Dickens | Nicholas Harrigan | Philip Jess | Caroline Johnson
Marieke Navin | Jan Schnupp | Peter Zeidman | Reserves

Nick Dickens, Glasgow Heat Winner

Nick is a researcher at the Institute of Cancer research in Sutton, Surrey, working in the leukaemia research group, researching genetics and genomics. His first talk introduced us to a neat little piece of technology, a gene chip that detects genetic signatures of leukaemia. He also presented his theories on the ‘buttercup gene’ and impressed the judges enough to win the Glasgow heat.

How did you come up with your chosen subject matter at the FameLab heats?

I picked things that I was working on, or had done previously and (more importantly) that I thought people would be interested in. 

Did your presentation go according to plan?

Not really, I was more nervous than expected and I almost fluffed my first talk.  I felt much more relaxed for the second, and so in-control that I improvised, upgrading my talk with leftover lunch items – yum!

Please tell us what you feel your key skills are as a science communicator and why the public might respond well to you

I like to keep things simple, which I think helps.  The most complicated thing in science is the language which I am able to translate into a more understandable format. I also have a good radar for when people are losing interest (getting bored) and can respond to that, although I am still learning to do this with a big audience. I am able to relate science to everyday examples that are easy to understand. I like to make it fun as well as serious.

How did you get interested in science?

I have a vivid childhood memory of going for a walk with my granddad on a dry sunny day, pointing at cracked mud and asking why it was like that.  He explained it to me and that was basically it. As a child I used to take things apart (sometimes I even put them back together) and I read about science a lot – I have like this ever since.  I think good scientists are inherently nosey, and how everything works still fascinates me.

What do you do currently?

I am a bioinformatician, which means I use biology, computers and statistics to try and combine information in a way that is useful and, hopefully, open up new avenues of research for fellow scientists. At the moment I work in leukaemia research (cancer of white blood cells), specifically a type of leukaemia called myeloma – which has a poor prognosis.  I analyze the genetic changes that happen in myeloma cells when they have become cancerous and try to pinpoint the changes that influence responses to specific treatments.  We are also looking at the genetic background of patients, as some individuals may have a pre-disposition to certain types of leukaemia or a genetic background that affects their response to treatment.  This research will (hopefully) improve the treatment of myeloma. 

Why does science excite and inspire you?

I think genomics is captivating, the human genome sequence was finished (well 99% of it) 3 years ago and we still know so little about it.  Science is the great mystery, by answering one question you pose hundreds more, we will never have all the answers but the things we discover as we try are amazing. Discoveries we make today will help humankind long after I am gone.  And as I said before I am nosey, I love knowing how things work and understanding ourselves is the ultimate puzzle.

To date, what has been your most exciting scientific moment (other than being a FameLab finalist of course!)

I have been lucky in my career, the nature of my job means I have had the opportunity to contribute to the work of many groups – studying asthma, muscular dystrophy, type 2 diabetes and heart disease, to name a few, and it is difficult to pinpoint the most exciting. However, I think my current job is high-up on the list, because the people are really enthusiastic and we have so much data that it feels like we are on the brink of a major discovery that will really help people.

Who are your favourite science communicators and why?

I think Johnny Ball had the biggest influence on me as a child, just his raw enthusiasm I used to love watching him on TV. You don’t see presenters with that much passion and energy these days. I really like Robert Winston but he can be a little dry (gulp, no offence).  I guess the closest is Adam Hart Davies, he crams a lot of interesting science into his programs - in a more historical context. My idols as a child were embarrassingly all fictional characters – but scientists nonetheless – Sherlock Holmes, Doctor Who and Macgyver have all influenced my scientific career in their own way. 

What are your ambitions for the future? Would winning FameLab have any impact on your plans?

I would love to be a TV scientist.  I do love my job, I am engrossed by science and I get to work with some amazing people – to tell people about it would be incredibly rewarding.  Research-wise I would like to run my own group one day and help bring different avenues of research together to understand how human beings work and hopefully improve the treatment and understanding of disease.  But I also love talking, and science is something that everyone is interested in whether they realise it or not!   Winning Famelab would be fantastic, and could help me find that dream job.  Regardless, we all want to win and I am sure it will be a wonderful, fun and inspiring experience.