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Larissa Melo Chicoski

    • About Me:

      Hello! I’m Larissa! I’m a veterinarian who loves dogs and cats, but also loves laboratories, which made me become a scientist! I’m Brazilian, but I live in Inverness, Scotland, to study the bacteria that infect animals.

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      Well, I grew up in Brazil, so I love hot days. I also really love to watch football games, travel to different spots, and out with my friends. Going to the beaches, chocolate and holidays are the final combination to make everything perfect.

      After I became a veterinarian, I decided to be a specialist in infectious diseases (diseases that are transmitted by microorganisms) and I liked it so much that I decided to continue studying longer about bacteria and animals. That’s why I moved to the United Kingdom and since then I’ve been making new friends, traveling abroad, and discovering new foods.

      In my free time, I like to read, sleeeeep, and, to be honest, I spend some time on my social media.

    • My pronouns are:

      She/her

    • My Work:

      I’m Vet and scientist, currently PhD student focused on antibiotic resistance in cattle

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      I am a PhD student in agriculture, rural and environmental studies which studies the genetic mechanisms that act to make bacteria resistant to antibiotics (the medicine that we [and animals too] take to cure an infection). My work involves a lot of laboratory labor to make the bacteria grow and identify them. Then, to do several tests to see which antibiotics they are resistant to do genetic sequencing and comparisons with other bacteria to find out which genes are there that are responsible for resistance against an antibiotic. For this, my team and I use a lot of biology, a little chemistry, mathematics, and bioinformatics.

    • My Typical Day:

      I get up and make my bed. I drink my breakfast and go to the office/laboratory by bike. I start working at 10am, and depending on the day I have experiments in the lab or on the computer. I have two friends at the office who always invite me to lunch. In the afternoon, I do more experiments, take some classes (yes, being a scientist involves taking classes forever), and meetings with my colleagues and supervisor. I like to leave at 6:30pm so I can go to the gym and shop, and then I can go home.

    • What I'd do with the prize money:

      I would design a mini mobile laboratory for children, wherein in each set they can learn about a chemical, biological, or physical principle while they “play/manipulate” with laboratory equipment (for example, principles of density, volume, and measurements). The equipment for this mobile laboratory would be transportable to schools for visits with scheduled sessions, separated by classes/ ages. Activities can be led by undergraduate students who have minimal knowledge of general principles of science. This could be a reproducible model for different teams in different scenarios to engage science.

    Candidate CV questions (extra)

    • Education:

      I studied at the same school from elementary to high school, in Brazil. After, I studied human resources management at Universidade Positivo. To be honest, I didn’t think it was the type of science that made me happy, so I started Veterinary Medicine at the Universidade Federal do Parana, Brazil.

      To become a specialist, I did a residency in infectious diseases at the Universidade Estadual de Londrina, also in Brazil, where I already stayed to do my master’s degree in Animal Science. After all this, I moved to the UK to do a PhD in Agriculture, Rural and Environmental Studies at Scotland Rural College (SRUC), as an Eastbio student.

    • Qualifications:

      Student rep in High School

      Specialist in Veterinary Infectious Disease (UEL)

      MSc in Animal Science (UEL)

    • Work History:

      Wedding ceremony

      Intern in Red River National Park

      Intern in Paraná Institute of Technology

      Volunteer in Erastinho Hospital (oncopediatric Hospital  for children)

    • Current Job:

      PhD student in Agriculture, Rural and Environmental Studies

    • Employer:

      SRUC – School of Veterinary Medicine

    • My Interview

      • How would you describe yourself in 3 words?

        pet-lover microvisionary vision

        What did you want to be after you left school?

        Sicentis (I just didn't know what type)

        Were you ever in trouble at school?

        Sometimes heheheh

        If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?

        Airplane Pilot

        Who is your favourite singer or band?

        Beyonce

        What's your favourite food?

        Chocolate

        If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!

        Have my parents forever, stay forever young and end social inequality

        Tell us a joke.

        Why did antibiotic-resistant bacteria take on a superhero cape? Because she is invincible!

Questions answered by Larissa

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