Profile

Hello!

My name is Siobhán (shove-on), I am from Lucan Co.Dublin and I am a final year PhD researcher in the field of chemistry in RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, in Dublin city centre.

When I am not doing PhD related work, I enjoy reading, mainly non-fiction and watching movies generally rom-coms. I enjoy pilates and running to help me destress and

When I finish my PhD I hope to travel more and work in the pharmaceutical industry.

I am studying peptides which fall under the category of biochemistry. Peptides are essentially small proteins, similarly made up of amino acid ‘building blocks’ with very important functions in the body and have recently become popular in treating disease and in cosmetics. A famous peptide you have probably heard of is insulin, which controls blood sugar levels in the body. Insulin is just one of many hormones in the body characterised as a peptide. Peptides found in the body have numerous functions. They can be found at locations susceptible to microbes such as bacteria and viruses, giving them antimicrobial properties also. Peptides can be short or long, while the longer sequences as we call them tend to be more difficult to make.

My research looks at synthesising peptides in a lab sustainably, as currently the process uses chemicals harmful to the environment and human health. I am also looking at improving some properties which hinder peptides use as medicines, such as their rapid excretion (removal) from the body. I use a lot of  machines to help me in my everyday work, such as one synthesiser which uses microwave energy to help synthesise the peptides quickly. Another machine lets me purify the peptide, removing any unwanted side-products.

My day begins with breakfast, feed my cat and then walk to work. I start work around 9am where I get started with my lab work for the day. I use my lab book to keep track of my experiments, in terms of what has worked and what hasn’t. In the lab we have to be safe, so lab glasses, a lab coat and gloves are essential when working with any chemicals! Working in a lab also involves a lot of mundane chores, like unpacking deliveries, cleaning (we use a lot of glassware!!) and waste management. Some days I do lab demonstrating which involves helping undergraduate students in their chemistry labs. This gives me good opportunity to go back to basics and improve my understanding of chemistry also. About midday I have lunch with friends in the canteen, usually homemade. Back to the lab for the afternoon, sometimes this involves writing up results, planning future work or discussions with my supervisor. My supervisor keeps me on track with my work and advises me on what I should be doing as doing a PhD often involves working on many projects at once which can get confusing. He also helps me interpret my results. I go home at about 6pm, either walking or cycling and sometimes running to incorporate some exercise into my day. In free time, hard to come by nowadays since I’m busy with my studies, I enjoy baking, reading, hiking, going to the cinema and going for food with friends.