Matthew Johnson
Research Fellow in the Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Sheffield
I’m Matt, a Research Fellow in the Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology. I came to Sheffield originally in 2000 to do a Bachelors degree in Biochemistry. I enjoyed my undergraduate course at Sheffield so much that I decided I wanted to pursue a career in science and so began a PhD on the molecular basis of photoprotection in plants. I was excited and interested about the research possibilities and opportunities for postgraduates at Sheffield and the fact that the Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology has a five-star research rating in the UK certainly helped me in making my decision.
Undertaking a PhD allowed me to learn new and varied scientific skills in biophysics, biochemistry and plant physiology. The facilities available for my research at Sheffield were second to none and included the use of the £5 million Plant Growth Facility where I could grow the plants I used for my research materials in a range of climates from desert to tropical!
As part of the doctoral programme PhD students were required to present their scientific work to fellow researchers at symposiums held once a year and at international conferences, giving us the opportunity to discuss our work with both general and specialist scientific audiences. The poster presentations and oral presentations involved not only helped improve my public speaking skills, but also taught me to defend my work and critically analyze the work of others. In my later career as a Scientist these skills have stood me in good stead when speaking at International Scientific conferences. Seminars hosted within the department for guest speakers from other Universities from around the world allowed me to keep in touch with research in my own and other interesting fields.
During my PhD I was also encouraged to arrange collaborative visits to other laboratories around the UK and overseas working in similar areas of molecular plant science that offered complementary techniques to those available in Sheffield. I visited research groups in Paris and Aix-en-Provence during my PhD to assist with my project and these experiences greatly enriched my experience and were invaluable when drawing the final conclusions about my work that formed my doctoral thesis.
Living in Sheffield is a wonderful experience. Sheffield is a safe, clean, friendly and vibrant city with a thriving arts and entertainment scene and the biggest compliment I can pay it is that I have returned, after 4 and a half years away working in London, to Sheffield as a Research Fellow bringing my scientific story full circle! I can’t think of a better place to be to continue my development as a scientist.
