Profile
Katie Sieradzan
My CV
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Education:
Primary School – Crowlees J&I (Mirfield, Yorkshire)
High School – Castlehall School (Mirfield, Yorkshire)
College – Greenhead (Huddersfield, Yorkshire)
Here, I chose to focus my studies on geology, chemistry, and maths.Undergraduate degree – Bangor University (Bangor, Wales)
My degree was called Geological Oceanography, but it’s basically looking at rocks in the ocean!Masters degree – Bangor University (Bangor, Wales)
Still looking at those underwater rocks!PGCE degree – Reading University (Reading, Berkshire)
I did some training so I could be a high school geography teacher. I taught in a school for 2 years after this before deciding to continue my education.PhD – Bangor University (Bangor, Wales)
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Qualifications:
GCSEs
– Maths
– English Language
– English Media
– Geography
– Chemistry
– Biology
– Physics
– ICT
– Religious Studies
– Spanish
– GermanAs Level
– BiologyA Level
– Chemistry
– Maths
– GeologyDegrees
– Master in Geological Oceanography
– PGCE in Secondary Education -
Work History:
– Tesco Cafe worker
– Teaching assistant (primary school)
– Teacher (secondary school) -
Current Job:
– PhD student
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About Me:
I am a plant-obsessed scientist who loves the oceans and everything in them!
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I live in Manchester with my husband. We have three fish, and 47 houseplants. I don’t have room for any more houseplants now, and yet, I can’t help buying more!
I also collect fossils and interesting rocks. I have so many we need to buy a cabinet to keep them all in. This photo shows about a quarter of my collection.
My 2021 resolution is to walk at least 100 miles a month! So far, I’m on track!
My pronouns are she/her.
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I am a PhD student, which means I am working on something brand new, that no-one has ever done before! By the end of my PhD, I’ll have told the entire scientist community about my work, and hopefully have improved it ever so slightly.
My research is about the shelf seas, which are really shallow seas next to land. If you’ve ever been to the beach and gone paddling, that’s a shelf sea!
Those seas are super important, because they have these processes called “pumps” within them, that transport material from the surface to the deeper waters. I’m looking at the “carbon pump” and how these shelf seas draw carbon down to deep waters.All my research is computer-based, which means I don’t get to do any fieldwork. But, I do get to run computer models – which I think is just as cool!
I create different scenarios, and tell the computer to imagine what would happen to the Earth if my scenario was real, then I create images from the data the computer gives me.
You can make all sorts of cool scenarios! My co-supervisor once created one where the earth was made of blueberries!This figure is an example of the pictures I can make from the computer model outputs. This shows me the temperature in the North Sea across a whole year!
Another really cool part of the PhD is conferences! You can travel all over the world, meeting new people and discussing ideas at these conferences. It’s a great opportunity to get word out about your work and make yourself known.
I am completing my PhD at Bangor University surrounded by amazing colleagues, and my work is funded by the ENVISION DTP.
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My Typical Day:
I wake up nice and early, and settle in front of the computer for a full-on day of science!
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7:00am – Wake up, and do some exercise, a walk or some yoga.
9:00am – Get set up in front of the computer.
It’s best to set up some computer model scenarios in the morning. Depending on the complexity of the scenario, it can take the computer up to a week to run it! This photo shows one of my directories within the model. I use this to create new scenarios.9:30am – Analyse the outputs from a previous scenario. I usually write and use python scripts to do this, and I’m quite new to this, so it takes a while for me to be able to actually produce anything – but I’m learning!
12:00pmĀ – Lunchtime!
1:00pm – The afternoons are full of meetings, usually. This is great because it gives me the chance to talk to colleagues and develop ideas.
3:00pm – I teach Year 0 Physics at the university, so I often have afternoon lectures to give.
5:00pm – The computer gets turned off and I leave my home-office. I find a work-life balance to be extremely important, and I make sure to not go into my office outside of work hours.
7:00pm – After a day in front of the computer screen it’s great to be able to switch off and read a book or chat with family and friends.
10:00pm – I’m in bed by 10:00 at the absolute latest! Need plenty of sleep for another day of science tomorrow!
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What I'd do with the prize money:
Science carnival! Invite multiple scientists across a range of subjects to participate with engaging and interactive displays about their work.
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Enthusiastic, passionate, friendly
What did you want to be after you left school?
It changed frequently, but was always some sort of scientist!
Were you ever in trouble at school?
Never! Well.... I once got a lunchtime detention for forgetting a book!
Who is your favourite singer or band?
Bring me the Horizon
What's your favourite food?
Homemade chicken and mushroom pie
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
To finish my PhD, lecture at a university, buy a house in the countryside
Tell us a joke.
What did the sea say to the beach? Nothing, it just gave a little wave!
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