Profile
Samantha Harrison
I've been having such a great time so far! :D
My CV
-
Education:
2000 – 2001 Sturry Primary School
2001 – 2004 Minster Primary School
2004 – 2006 Thorne Brooke Primary School
2006 – 2011 Carlton Holy Family High School
2011 – 2013 Selby College
2013 – 2017 The University of Lincoln
2017 – now The University of Nottingham
-
Qualifications:
2006 – 2011 Carlton Holy Family High School
GSCEs
My GCSEs let me learn a wide variety of subjects. This was the first time I got to choose which subjects I learned about, so it made me think about which subjects I enjoyed most.2011 – 2013 Selby College
A levels: Maths, Psychology, English Language & Literature, Sociology
I knew I wanted to study something new at college. I hadn’t heard of psychology or sociology before. I asked about them at an open day and thought they sounded great. They were described as a mix of science, maths, politics and medicine.2013 – 2017 The University of Lincoln
BSc (hons) Psychology. MSc Psychological Research Methods
I wanted to keep studying psychology so I took it at university. I really enjoyed doing research but I wanted to improve my skills, so I did a masters degree in it. Here I discovered I really liked the science of the brain.2017 – now The University of Nottingham
PhD in neuroscience
My passion for research was still strong, so I decided to take a PhD. My PhD was based in neuroscience, which means I get to study the brain. During my PhD I get to run my own experiments in my lab. It is a lot of responsibility but a lot of fun! -
Work History:
2008 – 2011 Goole Post Office
Shop assistant2011 – 2017 Goole Post Office
Post Office counter clerk2013 – 2017 Lincoln Bailgate Post Office
Post Office counter clerk2013 – 2017 The University of Lincoln
Student helper2014 – 2017 The University of Lincoln
Student researcher2015 – 2015 The University of Lincoln
Research assistant2018 – 2021 The University of Nottingham
Exam invigilator2021 – now The University of Nottingham
Research assistant -
Current Job:
I am currently finishing my PhD, and I am a research assistant. This means I run research in the lab with a big team of scientists.
-
About Me:
I am a PhD student and research assistant. I love to be outdoors and upside down – you can often find me on a trapeze!
-
Read more
Hi everyone, my name is Sammi! I live in Nottingham with my boyfriend. We love to watch musicals together, though he doesn’t love it when I sing along loudly out of tune, oops!
I love animals and nature. My favourite animals are llamas and bees. I’m scared of bears because I came face-to-face with a wild one once!
In my spare time, I enjoy circus acrobatics. I love hanging upside down from a hoop, silks or trapeze! I really enjoy performing and cannot wait until events can start up again. Have you ever been to the circus? What was your favourite part?
-
Read more
I am a neuroscientist, which means I study the brain. I look at how well babies’ brains can understand speech.
To do this, I use laser beams to look at how well the brains are working inside babies’ heads. Don’t worry, the lasers are harmless and don’t hurt the babies at all! Here are what the lasers look like on a babies head during the experiment.
As well as working in the labs running experiments, I also get to give talks to people all over the world. Sometimes I give talks in schools about what it is like to be a scientist. Other times I give talks to other scientists, telling them about my work and what we need to do next. I get very nervous before giving a talk, but I am always proud of what I’ve achieved when I’m done. Have you ever given a presentation? Did you get nervous too?
-
My Typical Day:
I set up all of my science machines and check the lasers are ready to use. Throughout the day I meet the families who are taking part in my study and then run the experiments in the lab. Sometimes the babies need breaks, so we sing nursery rhymes or play together.
-
Read more
Because of covid-19 I have been working a lot from home, but the below timetable shows a typically day in the lab before that.
9am – arrive at work. I share my office with lots of other scientists so we usually start the day with a cup of tea and a chat.
9:30am – get the lab ready. My work uses lots of machines and computers so I need to make sure everything is turned on and working correctly. I check the machine that controls the lasers to make sure there are no issues. I have to attach each laser to a hat which can take some time as there are lots of wires!
10:30am – start the experiments. I run my experiments on real people, so when they arrive I will talk to them about my work and what they will be doing that day. I put my equipment on the baby’s head to monitor their brains – this is just like wearing a funny hat, it doesn’t hurt them. The harmless lasers send lights to the brain and measures how hard the brain is working.
My lab is in a soundproofed room, which means you can’t hear noises from outside the lab. This is important for me as some of my research needs complete silence.12:30pm – lunch time!! What do you like to eat for lunch?
1:30pm – if I am testing more children, I will go back into the lab and run the experiments again. Every child is different, so you never know how each session will go. Sometimes we get through the experiment quickly, but other times we take lots of breaks and play lots of games with the children and their families. I once hid in a cupboard during a game of hide and seek and got locked in!
4:30pm – tidy up. Doing science with children can get quite messy, so I tidy up the lab. There are usually lots of toys that need to go back in my toy box. The machines I use are very expensive, so we clean them carefully and pack them away every night. With any spare time I might do my paperwork or practice for my next talk, and then…
Home time!
-
What I'd do with the prize money:
I want to create resources that show how diverse scientists can be. You don’t have to look a certain way or come from a certain place to be a scientist!
-
My Interview
-
How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Circus acrobat & neuroscientist
What did you want to be after you left school?
I wasn't sure what I wanted to be, and that's okay. I'm still figuring it out, even now!
Were you ever in trouble at school?
I was a forgetful child, so I often forgot to bring in my homework. I had done it, but then left it on the table at home - oops!
Who is your favourite singer or band?
I don't have one favourite, I like too many! I like listening to country music, musicals, pop and rock music. I can go from listening to Taylor Swift to Slipknot and still be singing along either way
What's your favourite food?
Homemade cookies!
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
1- I would wish to see my extended family more. I haven't seen them much because of covid-19, so I would like to have a big family party when we can. 2- I would wish to travel more. I want to visit Antarctica to see the penguins! 3- I would wish for money. Then I could fund more scientists, attend more outreach events, buy ingredients for baking, and treat myself to more trips to the theatre.
Tell us a joke.
How do you organise a party in space? You planet!
-