Profile

Thomas Wells
-
About Me:
I live in London with my boyfriend and two cats. I recently finished a PhD in plants and now my job is to help people better understand science.
-
Read more
I am an avid reader, especially sci-fi/fantasy or horror. I also really love to bake, making my own bread most weeks and have a great brownie recipe.
I worked in research for about 5 years, starting in medical research and moving into plant science. I really enjoyed it but it wasn’t for me so I became a science communicator. I now love my job helping people to understand science better.
-
My pronouns are:
He/Him
-
How I use Science in my work:
I help people better understand cutting edge science, so I need to understand the science well enough to explain it.
-
My Work:
My job is to help people understand science better.
-
Read more
I am a science communicator for the MRC Laboratory of medical sciences (LMS). This is a part of Imperial College London that focuses on medical research. I make their work more easily understood by the public.
-
My Typical Day:
My day at work typically consists of updating out website and social media pages.
-
Read more
When new research is produced by my department I will work to spread the word, usually by social media. This means I spend a lot of time making social media posts. I also help put together events for people to engage with science.
-
Education:
I went to primary school in South London at a school called Homefield. From there I did the 11+ and went to Wilsons School in Croydon. I’m not sure I’d suggest a selective school as it’s quite high pressure.
My A levels didn’t go to plan, so I resat and then went to York where I studied Biochemistry, before doing my PhD at Imperial.
-
Qualifications:
I have 11 GSCES, mostly A*s and Bs. I did 4 A Levels in Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Philosophy. After resits I got 3 As and a B in Philosophy, I got 4 Bs before resits.
I also have a BSc in Biochemistry (2:1) and PhD in Plant Biology from a Chemistry department.
-
Work History:
Before Uni, I worked at Chessington World of Adventures selling photos which was fun and at a gift shop opposite the British Museum.
After uni I did a PhD and then started my current job.
-
Current Job:
My job is a science communicator
-
Employer:
I work for the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences (LMS)
-
My Interview
-
What did you want to be after you left school?
Researcher
Were you ever in trouble at school?
Not a lot, although I got told off a lot for reading in class and disagreeing with teachers when I thought they were wrong
If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?
Maybe a baker but that's an early morning
Who is your favourite singer or band?
Florence and the Machine
What's your favourite food?
Vicky sponge
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
It would be nice to travel the world with my mates without having to think about money. I'd also like my houseplants to do a bit better and to be a really good cook
Tell us a joke.
what's black and white and black and white and black and white? a penguin rolling down a hill.
-