Question: why have you decided to choose the jobs you have?

Helen Frost answered on 15 Jun 2017:

That’s a great question. Like a lot of people, I sort of drifted a little bit into my current job, rather than it being a passionate dream for a long time.

I always knew I wanted to work in science, and when I finished studying my degree at university, I didn’t feel ready to give up studying, which is why I stayed in education to do a PhD. Then, during my PhD (which takes 4 years) I got interested in science communication in my spare time. I would go into schools to run interactive workshops, and organise hands-on activities/events for families and people who are interested in science. One day I realised I was enjoying this hobby even more than I was enjoying the research for my PhD, so I made the decision to pursue a career in science communication, rather than research. The day after I submitted my thesis (the big book you write at the end of a PhD) I started working for Cancer Research UK, doing science communication, helping people to understand the science that researchers are doing to try to cure cancer. Then I moved to Denmark and started working in a company doing research to cure rare diseases. My role is similar, helping people to understand the science, and the importance of the research, but the field is totally different, and the work environment is also very different.

Hope that answers your question 🙂