Profile
Julian Parkhill
My CV
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Education:
Westcliff High School for Boys, 1976-1983
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Qualifications:
I did a B.Sc. at the University of Birmingham between 1983-1986, and a Ph.D. at the University of Bristol from 1986-1991.
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Work History:
After my PhD I worked at the University of Birmingham on viruses and cancer, then moved to the Sanger in 1997.
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Current Job:
Pathogen Genomics
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Read more
We sequence the genomes of bacterial pathogens to learn about how they have evolved, how they cause disease, and how they have spread around the world. We work on organisms that cause diseases like typhoid fever, tuberculosis, meningitis, cholera, chlamydia and pneumonia, and on organisms that cause disease in hospitals, like MRSA and Clostridium difficile.
We can see from our analyses that these diseases move rapidly around the world, spread by humans, and how they can respond quickly to become resistant to antibiotics and vaccines. We can see which bacterial genes are important to cause disease in humans and other animals. We can also use data on a very fine level to track outbreaks and see precisely the transmission of bacteria between people. -
My Typical Day:
Coffee. Reading about, talking about, and listening to science.
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Coffee. Read and deal with e-mail. Talk to people in my group about the work they are doing and the latest data they have. Read and comment on scientific papers from my group and collaborators that we are preparing for publication. Read and criticise papers from other groups that have been sent to me to review and criticise before publication. Go to seminars from other scientists talking about their work. Also, unfortunately, sitting on the committees that keep the Institute working.
Although this is a typical day at work, I am often away at scientific conferences and meetings, listening to the latest research and catching up with collaborators from across the world. -
What I'd do with the prize money:
Genome sequencing is fundamental to our research; it underlies everything we do.
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Chubby, balding, loud.
Were you ever in trouble at school?
Yes, but you don’t really think I’m gong to tell you why, do you?
Who is your favourite singer or band?
80s music, mainly; Smiths, Bowie, Erasure, Billy Bragg, The Pogues; some late 70s punk and indy.
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
Read, game, swim.
Tell us a joke.
How many computer programmers does it take to change a lightbulb? A: Can’t be done. It’s a hardware problem.
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