Profile

Photo:

David Howard

My CV

  • Education:

    Verulam School for GCSEs and A-levels, Royal Agricultural College for undergrad and then University of Edinburgh for PhD

  • Qualifications:

    8 GCSEs, 3 A-Levels, NVQ levels 1 and 2 in Racehorse Care, Bachelor’s degree in Equine Management and PhD in Quantitative Genetics

  • Work History:

    Jockey, then worked for a company that made circuit boards for the Eurofighter and F1 cars. Now working as a scientist at the University of Edinburgh

  • Current Job:

    Postdoctoral research fellow studying the genetics of depression

  • About Me:

    I live in Edinburgh and really enjoy doing research on mental health.

  • Read more

    I left school at 18 to work in horseracing as my ambition was to become a jockey. I had about 100 rides and 5 winners before retiring in 2002. After retiring I worked in a number of managerial jobs and in 2007 I decided to do a degree to further my knowledge and strengthen my CV.

    I obtained a first class honours degree in Equine Management from the Royal Agricultural College. I greatly enjoyed my time studying for my undergrad degree, and I found studying genetics really fascinating and I decided to pursue a second career working in this field.

    In 2011, I began a four year PhD entitled ‘Managing genomic diversity in the course of selection’ at the Roslin Institute which is part of the University of Edinburgh.

    I am currently working as a post-doctoral research fellow examining the genetics of depression in humans. This is a three year position within a project known as Stratifying Resilience and Depression Longitudinally (STRADL) which is funded by the Wellcome Trust.

  • My Typical Day:

    Checking and responding to emails. Research. Writing papers and grant proposals. Preparing and presenting talks. Going to meetings. Helping others with their research.

  • What I'd do with the prize money:

    I plan to use the money to encourage a wider range of school kids to consider a career in science. There are a wide range of skills that are important within the sciences, including creative thinking, communication and writing. I will speak to a number of different people working in different areas in science (including journalists, technicians, public relations experts and coordinators) and produce a pack that provides more of the non-typical scientific careers to distribute to schools.

  • My Interview

    • How would you describe yourself in 3 words?

      Same, but different

      What did you want to be after you left school?

      Jockey

      Were you ever in trouble at school?

      Rarely, I tended to keep my head down.

      Who is your favourite singer or band?

      Black Pistol Fire are currently one of my favourite bands, along with Frank Carter & the Rattlesnakes and Deap Vally

      What's your favourite food?

      I do love pizza

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

      I want to help make a difference to people lives, get paid loads of money (this isn't going to happen in science) and be happy

      Tell us a joke.

      How do you get down off an elephant? You don't, you get down off a duck

Questions answered by David

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