Nicole Campbell | Hudson People

L-R: PhD supervisor Aisling Dunne and Nicole Campbell

POSITION / GROUP / CENTRE… Postdoc, Hertzog Research Group (Regulation of Interferon and Innate Signalling), CiiiD

I WAS BORN IN Dublin, Ireland

BEFORE HUDSON INSTITUTE I WAS DOING my PhD at Trinity College Dublin, studying regulation of human immune cell function and immunometabolism by the Heme Oxygenase system.

THE BEST PART OF MY JOB IS the excitement and privilege of participating in a field I love at it's ‘cutting edge’, and the ability to travel and work anywhere in the world!

I CHOSE THIS CAREER PATH BECAUSE I fell in love with immunology at 17 and I haven’t been able to shake it since! Originally I had intended to study medicine and pursue a career in clinical care. However, in university I realised that my interest for human health is better explored by a career in research, where my work can further my own knowledge and understanding, and also (hopefully) translate to improvements in patient care.

IF I WASN’T DOING THIS JOB I WOULD BE A medical doctor, as explained above. However, I’m also told regularly that I should open a bakery …

MY FIRST JOB WAS a sales assistant at a toy shop.

MY FAVOURITE MOVIE/TV IS RuPaul’s Drag Race helped me get through my PhD so it’s definitely up there … I’ve also recently started watching Derry Girls which is hilarious!

I AM WORKING ON understanding the role of interferon epsilon as a tumour suppressor in ovarian cancer.

THE HIGHLIGHT OF MY YEAR SO FAR is moving to Melbourne and starting my dream job in such a great institute!

I AM LOOKING FORWARD to exploring more of Australia and beyond.

MY FAVOURITE PLACE IN THE WORLD is under the sea!

OUTSIDE OF WORK I ENJOY baking, scuba diving and gaming.

MY FAVOURITE PLACE TO EAT anywhere with good vegetarian food, or pizza.

WHAT’S ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO EMERGING RESEARCHERS? Become a better writer; a lot of our time in research is spent writing papers, grant applications etc, and much of our success is dependent on us being good at it! The best way to improve your writing skill is to read widely, and not just academic papers but also novels, newspaper articles, pretty much anything and everything.