Profile
Tomas Fitzgerald
My CV
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Education:
Cambridge Arts and Sciences (CATS), The University of Sheffield, Cranfield University
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Qualifications:
Bsc, Msc, PhD
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Work History:
Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute (WTSI), European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI)
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Current Job:
Staff Scientist
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About Me:
Technology geek and musician
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I grew up and live in Cambridge with my young family. We have a 5 year old son and a large black cat named spook (we believe he is an F5 bengal breed). I am a member of the parish council in my village and enjoy getting involved in village life. And I am interested in traditional Irish music, playing the concertina, button accordion and uilleann pipes (I play the bag pipes very badly!). I also dabble a little with flamenco guitar. I am a little bit obsessed with computers, gadgets and technology. I love finding neat solutions to scientific problems.
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I co-run a research group with the Director at EMBL-EBI. We have a broad range of research activities, including large scale genomic analysis using “big data” projects such as the UK Biobank, the use of electronic health care records combined with cutting edge machine learning methods to improve patient care in the UK, super resolution microscopy techniques coupled with computer science based methods for efficient search across large search spaces, the use of Nanopore sequencing technologies for a range of novel scientific exploration, the analysis of virus integration characteristics and its effect on host genomes, the use of a novel panel of inbred Medaka fish to explore genetic, genetic and environmental (GxE) effects to understand basic biology and fundamental genetic principles. I run the research on the ground and co-supervise PhD students / postdocs (the people who do all the work!), I enjoy discussing and providing advise wherever i can.
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My Typical Day:
Discussing, thinking and developing
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My typical day involves making sure that all individuals and projects in the group have what they require to work, this involves a certain degree of administration (boring but necessary) and technological / method development (fun!). After this is complete, I tend to spend my time exploring news ideas and methods that might be useful to individuals and projects happening in the group, i enjoying discussing with other group members and bouncing ideas around for new directions of research. One major part of work is document writing and the review of manuscripts, although very important, in truth this is an area i do not enjoy as much as method generation / implementation (coding!).
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What I'd do with the prize money:
Donate to local parish council
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Determined, Helpful, Humble
What did you want to be after you left school?
I was unsure
Were you ever in trouble at school?
Yes
Who is your favourite singer or band?
The Dubliners
What's your favourite food?
Burger
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
Dont worry, be happy, make friends
Tell us a joke.
How many bioinformaticians does it take to change a light bulb? IT depends: One could implement the change in the most efficient way. Some could advise on the most optimum way of making the change. All would be thinking that there must be a better way of ensuring light is present in the room.
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