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I set out to study biology with chemistry because I wanted to learn more about the molecular basis of life. Dolly the sheep had just been cloned, so there was a lot of discussion about this rather enigmatic topic at the time. At university, I was drawn to chemistry classes because I was fascinated by the logic of physical and organic chemistry but it took me a few years to appreciate that much of biological signalling is also governed by chemistry. This realisation sparked my continuing interest in the chemistry of proteins.

I’ve been very fortunate to have had mentors and colleagues who truly cared about science. There was always someone around to discuss ideas with and I’ve had the freedom to explore the questions that I found interesting.

One of the nicest perks of a research career is that we get to learn something new every day. By working with creative students and colleagues, I never run out of inspiration.

Chemistry is a fascinating subject that helps you to understand the world around you and enables you to contribute to improving it. Keeping an open mind to neighbouring disciplines will enhance your ability to solve increasingly complex problems.

Being able to collaborate with scientists across disciplines, including medical doctors, has been extremely enriching on both a personal and a professional level. And it has highlighted to me the strengths of working as a team and that basic research contributes to applied science in unexpected ways.

Sulfur, because it provides the unique reactivities of my favourite amino acid, cysteine. Over the years, I’ve gotten over the unpleasant smell of the sulfur compounds we use in the lab and found it quite useful as a reporter for good lab practice when training students.