• Question: what got you into genetics

    Asked by anon-195334 to Tomas, Richard, Reka, Paul, Oliver, Hannah, Gemma, Emma on 30 Jan 2019.
    • Photo: Reka Nagy

      Reka Nagy answered on 30 Jan 2019:

      Studying it in school for the first time! I was really fascinated by the fact that we carry this thing called DNA inside us that is passed down from parents to children and is partly responsible for the way we turn out! So of course, I had to know more – and the more I learned, the more I realised how little we currently know about which bits of DNA do what – so I have made it my career to help figure out at least a bit more about it!

    • Photo: Emma Meaburn

      Emma Meaburn answered on 1 Feb 2019:

      We all differ in interesting ways, and since childhood I’ve been intrigued by the origins of these differences – what factors shape who we become?  Just how important are our genes, parents, siblings, school, teachers, activities and friendships?  This thought was at the back of my mind when I studied for my A levels and eventually went to university. It was during my undergraduate degree that I took a class on genetics and (finally) better understood the importance of genetic influence on human behaviours and psychological traits.  I still had very little idea of what a ‘geneticist’ might do (or how one went about becoming one!), but it helped focus my interest and I eventually went on to complete a PhD in Behavior Genetics at King’s College London.  

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