Profile
Rihab gam
My CV
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Education:
I went to the local school my city Monastir in Tunisia. After that I did my B.Sc. in Cellular and Molecular Biology, then my M.Sc. in Genetics. I got my PhD from Newcastle University as a Marie Curie Fellow.
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Qualifications:
During my B.Sc. and my M.Sc. years, I was always within the top 3 of the class so I was awarder the National Excellent Student award. During my PhD, I was awarder the Doctoral Training Award from The Faculty of Medical Sciences, Institute of Cellular medicine, Newcastle University. I also won the Golden Studentship award from PrimerDesign LTD (winner of one of the 20 golden Studentships in the UK). For conferences, I won the TCES Short Term Scientific Missions (STSM) from the Tissue and Cell Engineering society, the Biochemical Society Travel Awards for the ECI conference and the Biolegend Travel Award for the EBMT conference.
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Work History:
I did my PhD as a staff member of Newcastle University due my position as a Marie Curie Early Stage Career (ESR) Fellow.
Right after my PhD, I worked a research associate at the International Research Center for Medical Sciences, University of Kumamoto, Kumamoto in Japan. Currently I am working at the MRC laboratory of Molecular Biology as Postdoctoral Fellow.
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About Me:
I am a Rutherford Postdoctoral Fellow, trilingual and always learning a new language in my spare time. Loves cooking, dogs, cycling and reading.
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Read more
I came to Cambridge 3 years ago to do my postdoc at the LMB after t I lived in Japan for a while as a researcher there too. Before that, I did my PhD as a Marie Curie Fellow at Newcastle University and that marked the time I left my home country, Tunisia (but I never stopped visiting, it’s just a 3 hours flight away). Apart from being a scientist, I am also a great chef, and a very competitive gamer (not yet on a pro level).
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My Work:
I investigate how we can directly reprogram (transmogrify) any mature human cell type into any other. This will allow for the development of novel cellular therapies.
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My Typical Day:
My typical day starts with cycling to work at 9am then coffee at my desk while reading Nature Briefings online. Once I am up to date and all good on caffeine, I check my calendar for meetings and seminars to attend during the day. The fun part then starts in the lab where I take care of my cells, I carefully look at them under a microscope and sort out the ones which were successfully transformed and culture them seperately. Through the day, I meet my colleagues in the lab and if one needs help with experiments I try to help if I have time. we always go for tea time in the afternoons with my team and then go back to the lab to finish up work or writing up. I conclude my day with going to the gym or meeting my friends outside or just go home.
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What I'd do with the prize money:
I will buy special microscopes which I can leave in the incubators to monitor my cells all the time following their special florescent tags, until they change their morphology. Then I can show the videos of their transdifferentiation to everyone who is fascinated by the process!
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Ambitious, curious and proactive.
What did you want to be after you left school?
A choreographer...very random.
Were you ever in trouble at school?
Of course. I was part of our school Hand ball team and we were not so quiet all the time.
Who is your favourite singer or band?
I listen to music in many languages, so I have many favourite singers. My favourite band is the KPOP band Big Bang.
What's your favourite food?
It's Tunisian Dish called "Le casse-croûte tunisien"
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
Unlimited health. Unlimited funding. Colonise Mars.
Tell us a joke.
All the ones I know are in Arabic, you won't get it.
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