Profile
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Niamh Callinan Keenan
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About Me
Hi! I am a dance teacher in training by day and a researcher by night. I love to chat, read science books, and, of course, dance!
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Hi!
My background is in Molecular Medicine. I studied lots about cells, proteins, how cells talk to each other, how different diseases work and how we can find new treatments and cures for them. I also studied some general chemistry, and anatomy and physiology.
My special interest is in the field of bioinformatics. Bioinformatics is the study of data science, computer science, and statistics, and how we can use them to make new scientific discoveries. At the moment, I am working on some projects of my own developing lab software and I work with a big team of scientists across the world in the Bioinformatics Research Network. I use all the biology I learned in my degree and I am learning loads of new things about computer science and statistics.
My biggest hobby is dance. As well as keeping up with science I am training to be a dance teacher. I want to share my love for dance and also one of my other interests, anatomy and physiology. I am training to be a dance teacher so it is important for me to keep up to date with all the amazing sports science research so I can be the best I can possibly be.
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I started to work in the field of bioinformatics. Bioinformatics is a really exciting combination of computer science and biology. A huge amount of information and data is produced every single day from experiments by other scientists across the globe. This is amazing but also hard to manage on your own. Bioinformatics takes all this information and finds patterns that are important when it comes to diagnosing (finding out what disease it is) and designing medicines. It is also really important in tracking other information in other parts of biology, like microbiology (the study of bacteria, viruses, and fungi), and in other sciences, like environmental science.
I am currently working on figuring out how autoimmunity affects dancers by looking at data that already exists and using coding and computers to work out all the statistics. As well as that, as a side project, I am working on building software to help other scientists in labs to make their experiments easier. I learned how to do a lot of the computer science side of things by reading and practicing coding by myself and I am so excited to use it in a subject I love.
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My Typical Day
I wake up and have breakfast. I go to college at 9am, where I do lots of dance classes and dance teaching practice. I get home at around 5pmn and then I start to work on science. Most days I work on my own projects but some days I have meetings with other scientists. I finish at around 9pm and I go to bed to start again the next day
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I wake up every morning and start my day with a good breakfast. I then go to dance college where I do ballet, jazz, and contemporary classes, as well as anatomy, kinesiology (the science of movement), and other theory classes like psychology to learn how to be a good teacher.
I get home from dance college at around 5pm each day. I start working on science then. Most days I work away at my own projects or spend some time researching and reading papers from other scientists. Some days I have lab meetings, where I talk to other bioinformatics researchers from America, Italy, India, and other places across the world. I am really lucky to be able to do both science and dance, thanks to zoom and different time zones!
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What I'd do with the prize money
If I won the money, I would use it to learn more about how to edit videos so I could make my podcast, 'Malpractice Makes Perfect', even better!
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
dancing computer biologist
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