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Pint of Science Podcast E7: Professor Sheena Cruickshank - Immunologist & Microbiome enthusiast
How do we manage to remain in good health (at least most of the time) in a world full of microorganisms that think our bodies are the equivalent of Magaluf? Does ‘imposter syndrome’ ever go away? And just what the heck is the microbiome!? All of these questions and more were answered when we returned to The Salutation Inn in Manchester for a catch up with Sheena Cruickshank, Professor of Immunology and Public Engagement expert. Sheena works on the immune system, more specifically looking at the cross-talk between different immune cells and how this shapes our immune response when we encounter something that shouldn’t be in our bodies. We sat down for a pint with Sheena to talk about some of the unexpected features of the immune system, the hot topic of the microbiome as well as the glamorous world of faecal transplants, which are exactly what they sound like… Welcome back to the Pint of Science podcast. Each week, we meet scientists in pubs around the UK to find out about their lives, their universe, and everything. From *how* fruit flies love to *why* humans love, via jumping into volcanoes, winning Olympic medals, where we came from and more! Like what we do? Be sure to subscribe to us and rate us on your favourite podcasting platform! The Pint of Science podcast is a part of the Pint of Science Festival, the world's largest science communication festival. Thousands of guests and speakers descend on pubs in hundreds of cities worldwide to introduce science in a fun, engaging, and usually pint-fuelled way. This podcast is made possible with the help of our sponsors Brilliant.org. Do check them out, and visit www.brilliant.org/pintofscience/ where the first 200 people who sign up will get 20% off a Premium plan! Professor Sheena Cruickshank completed her Bachelor’s degree at Strathclyde University, and after being tempted to remain in the lab by the promise of free-beer, went on to obtain her PhD in Immunology from the University of Leeds. Since 2007, Sheena has worked in the Department of Immunology, investigating autoimmunity, how immune responses get started, and the communication between immune cells. She is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and Public Engagement Secretary for the British Society for Immunology. Her interest in Public Engagement has led to her developing several projects to share research, notable examples including ‘The Worm Wagon’ and ‘Britain Breathing’. You can follow Sheena on twitter @sheencr. Thanks to us all having colds on the day of recording, we forgot to get our usual group photo, so instead here is a picture of a hermit crab without its shell. More about Pint of Science at pintofscience.co.uk More about this episode
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