Welcome

I would like to welcome everyone to my new blog. On this site I will endeavor to discuss a wide range of scientific topics in a manner that I hope will be accessible to almost everyone, regardless of their background. As the result of my training in molecular biology many of the topics covered will have a biological flavour to them, but I am equally fascinated by many other branches of science and I will try to give them their just due. My goal is to regularly provide small articles on the latest news in world of science and supplement these with more comprehensive pieces on my favorite topics and the occasional book review when time permits.

Now a little about myself. I received my Ph.D. in 2000 from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada for characterizing the nature and function of transient interactions between proteins whose biological activities or locations are altered when differing types of blood cells are stimulated with various growth factors. I subsequently relocated to Lyon, France to accept a post-doctoral position at the Université Claude Bernard where I studied the consequences of genetic mutations in two genes linked to the development of breast and ovarian cancers known to run in families. During my time in France I also worked with researchers at the WHO International Agency for Research on Cancer to develop new techniques for observing differences in the expression level of each allele of a gene (an allele is a copy of a gene. You have two copies, or alleles, of each gene in almost every cell in your body). When not employed as a research scientist I have provided my services as a research and technology consultant for the biotechnology / life sciences community where I participated in the preparation of grant and funding proposals, market assessments of research and technology and business plans.