Profile
Francesca Harris
My CV
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Education:
I went to Wycombe Abbey School in Buckinghamshire. I then went to the University of Bristol. Finally I did my Masters at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (where I work now).
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Qualifications:
16 – 9 GCSE’s
17 – 5 AS Levels
18 – 3 A Levels
22 – Undergraduate Degree
23 – Masters
25.. started my PhD.. -
Work History:
When I was younger I did A LOT of different jobs to earn money (bartender, waitress, leafleting, promotion jobs etc.). I also volunteered for various charities, usually ones related to food. For example, a food waste charity that gives excess food to people in need, and a charity that teaches people how to cook meals at home.
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Current Job:
Research Assistant in Nutrition and Sustainability
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About Me:
I love people, food and plants (not always in that order ;)).
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I live in London with friends. I’m half Welsh (the better half) and half English. I’m a flexitarian (mostly vegetarian, but eat meat when I want to). My favorite podcast is The Food Chain from the BBC World Service.
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My main interest is trying to understand if we all eat healthier (and therefore improve our own health), will this also improve our planet’s health. To explore this question I use information on current diets, and make small changes to see what the potential environmental impacts would be. My work mainly focuses on India. Vegetables, which are good for our health, tend to have a lower impact on the environment than other foods (use less water, and lead to less greenhouse gas emissions). So what we usually find is that if we eat a healthier diet, this would be better for our current planet.
However, our environment is changing, which means crops might struggle to grow in the future. Therefore, my research team also tries to understand how climate change will impact the ability for us to produce healthy foods, and if we can do something about it.
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My Typical Day:
I play around with numbers, draw nice graphs and make nice presentations, read and write. And get to talk to other scientists, students, and other inspiring people who are working to improve our health and the health of the planet.
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I wake up and have a coffee straight away (I’m not a morning person). Usually a commute to my office at the University, then I spend some of my day sitting at my computer playing around with numbers (data), and making nice graphs. I will also have a call our meeting with colleagues in India (sometimes I get to go there too). I might then do some teaching or marking, spend some time reading about other ongoing research, or writing about my work.
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What I'd do with the prize money:
Use it to help make some teaching materials for schools on food and climate change.
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
intrigued, excitable, ambitious
What did you want to be after you left school?
Scientist.. or a radio presenter!
Were you ever in trouble at school?
Yes
Who is your favourite singer or band?
Bon Iver, and Fleetwood Mac
What's your favourite food?
Cheese
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
To have an impact on the world, to create something, and to surround myself with awesome people.
Tell us a joke.
A ham sandwich walks into a bar and orders a beer. The Bartender says - "sorry, we don't serve food in here."
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