EMBL-EBI:<\/strong> Group Leader at EMBL Heidelberg (1988 – 1992)<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMore than ever before, today\u2019s scientists have to be brave,\u201d says David Vaux. \u201cWe live in uncertain times in which more and more people seem to value opinion over expertise. We have to speak up about why research is important and we need to do this in a way that inspires both the decision maker and the person on the street. If we don\u2019t, there is a good chance we will see a decline in the role, impact and funding of science.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDespite these challenges, it\u2019s an enormously exciting time to be a scientist. If I were a young person just starting in the field, I would probably feel like a child in a sweet shop. I would really struggle to pick and choose subjects because so many interesting things are happening, across the board. Researchers can do the most extraordinary experiments \u2013 things we didn\u2019t even dream about a decade ago! And now students are exposed to them in their first year at university.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI was at EMBL more than 25 years ago and things were very different then,\u201d continues Vaux. \u201cEMBL was fairly small, to the point where people could host a party and invite everyone \u2013 it felt a little bit like a family. In the lab, we had access to cutting-edge equipment, such as microscopes that were not commercially available and only existed in a handful of labs around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOne thing that has been constant about EMBL and that stood out again at today\u2019s Alumni meeting is the spirit of collaboration. It\u2019s an essential requirement for good science. Internationality was never a forced thing at EMBL \u2013 it was a given. The point was to find the people who were the best in their field \u2013 regardless of where they were in the world \u2013 and collaborate with them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFrom EMBL, I returned to Oxford \u2013 as a teacher, not a student this time. I was appointed Fellow of Lincoln College and also as a university lecturer with a research lab in the Dunn School of Pathology. It was an interesting shift because it involved a lot of teaching, which was different from my previous roles. I have also worked on redesigning academic curricula and currently I\u2019m the Associate Head (Education) of the Medical Sciences Division at University of Oxford.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIn parallel to my academic career, I co-founded a small biotech spin-off, riding the \u201890s biotech wave. The company, Synaptica, aims to find the root cause of neurological disorders like Alzheimer\u2019s disease and develop drugs that block the destruction of brain cells. Synaptica is still going and we\u2019re in discussions with a few pharmaceutical companies about extending our programmes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBeing a scientist and an academic has advantages and disadvantages. There are the dull days doing administrative tasks, wondering what on earth you\u2019re doing there. But every now and then you have a breakthrough. An experiment unveils a new or unexpected result and for a few moments, you are the only person in the world who knows it. At that moment, you hold in your hands something that nobody else has ever seen<\/strong> \u2013 and that makes it all worth it. The secret is not to be discouraged by failure \u2013 rethink, try again, be brave.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now:<\/strong> Senior Scientist at Immunocore Ltd, Abingdon<\/p>\n\n\n\n EMBL-EBI:<\/strong> Guest Scientist at EMBL Grenoble (2010)<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI probably took the longest and most convoluted route into industry,\u201d says Miriam Hock. \u201cMy time at EMBL and my PhD helped me understand what really made me tick. I did structural work that I enjoyed, but I was really interested in understanding disease. More than anything else, I wanted a product \u2013 a practical application to my work<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAfter finishing my PhD, I felt a bit uncertain about what I wanted to do. I wasn\u2019t even sure where \u2013 geographically \u2013 I wanted to be. So I applied everywhere, sending my CV to organisations in pretty much every corner of the world. I did this for a few months before realising that a scattergun approach wasn\u2019t going to get me very far. So I took a step back and refocused my efforts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI have always been in love with Oxford. It\u2019s one of Grenoble\u2019s twin cities and has a similarly vibrant academic, cultural and scientific life. Not to mention it boasts the legacy of Inspector Morse, a series that absolutely fascinated me when I was growing up. So when I saw a job advert at Immunocore, I couldn\u2019t help but apply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI now work on developing a new class of immunotherapeutic drugs, based on proprietary T-cell receptors. The company uses soluble T-cell receptors that redirect a person\u2019s immune system to treat diseases and infection. We focus heavily on cancer, viral infections and autoimmune diseases. Our science and strong IP has attracted collaborations with major pharmaceutical companies including GSK and AstraZeneca.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDespite it taking me a while to figure out what I wanted to do with my life, it\u2019s been an exciting journey. I am enjoying every minute of it. I still love asking questions as much as I did in my year at EMBL and I feel very lucky to be walking the very same streets as Inspector Morse and Lewis.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Oxford Alumni meeting was a perfect illustration of how diverse our community is in its interests and career choices. And the spirit of curiosity was certainly present in the room, with excellent questions and discussions that continued well into the night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We are always looking for help organising alumni events, so if you would like to get involved, please contact the Alumni Office<\/a> on alumni@embl.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" EMBL alumni met in Oxford for an afternoon of science talks and networking<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":47,"featured_media":10581,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[80,59,92],"embl_taxonomy":[],"class_list":["post-10575","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","tag-alumni","tag-careers","tag-event"],"acf":{"article_intro":" More than 40 EMBL alumni and their guests gathered in the University of Oxford\u2019s Lady Margaret Hall on 22nd May for an afternoon of networking and talks<\/p>\n","related_links":[{"link_description":"EMBL in the UK - Photo Gallery","link_url":"https:\/\/www.embl.de\/aboutus\/alumni\/news\/news_2017\/20170522_uk\/photo_gallery\/index.html"},{"link_description":"EMBL Alumni Relations","link_url":"https:\/\/www.embl.de\/aboutus\/alumni\/index.html"}],"article_sources":false,"vf_locked":false,"featured":false,"color":"#007B53"},"embl_taxonomy_terms":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"David](\"https:\/\/news.embl.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/David_Vaux_EMBL_Alumnus.jpg\")
The thing about EMBL<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Curiosity saved the scientist<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Miriam Hock<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Miriam](\"https:\/\/news.embl.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Miriam_Hock_EMBL_Alumna.jpg\")
It\u2019s OK to feel lost<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Finding a focus<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Want to get involved?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n