Profile
Diarmuid Kenny
-
About Me:
In my day job I look at different proteins and how they are affected when you take a drug using a machine called a mass spectrometer. When not looking at proteins, I do a from of martials arts called Tang Soo Do, I make model airplanes and I am a avid boardgamer
-
Read more
I was born and raised in Dublin, though I have also lived in the UK, Sweden and the US. I live with my wife who is a doctor and my two sons, one of whom is 10 and the other is 4 years old. I have an aquarium with about 40 fish and a few plants and currently lots of little snails.
I used to play lots of computer games, but since I go older I pefer to play with people so normally play board games. My top tip for a board game is ‘Hey thats my fish’. You play as a penguin catching as many fish as possible. My dad loves it. My personal favourite boardgame is called Inis….it is based in Celtic Ireland
I played gaelic football for years, though I hurt my leg in a bad accident. I can still do run (I have ran three half marathons), I just need to be careful. Now I like do Tang Soo Do as its easier on my knee. It is really good for mind, body and soul.
I like to make model airplanes when I get downtime. I currently have way too many kits hidden in the attic.
-
My pronouns are:
He/Him
-
My Work:
I work with people trying to discover new drugs to help cure different disease. I work on a team with different skills (chemists, biologist, bioinformaticians) however I focus on looking at proteins, the main builiding block of every animal, plant or microscopic organism and how they are affected by different drugs
-
Read more
I work with a group of people who look to see how different medicines work and hope to find new medicines that can treat illnesses from the basic cold to other worse illnesses.
Different companies who are making drugs
-
What I'd do with the prize money:
Books. I believe books are great. While I love the internet, haviung an actual book with great illustrations beats the internet
-
Read more
I love a great book. I know people use the internet a lot to find information, however I find when I use that I don’t spend too long on the same website and I often fell like I waste time ‘surfin’. When I have a book I am totally engaged in the contents of.
I particularly like the “how it works” kind of books where they show the inward working of different things. When I was young I used to have a lot of them and I loved looking at the different pictures. I think it is what inspired me to become a scientist.
I think having books with great illustrations can really help engage people in subject, whether its astronomy to oceonography.
As such, I would invest in illsitration books.
-
Education:
Dublin City University (DCU) and National University of Ireland, Galways (NUIG)
-
Qualifications:
BSc, PhD
-
Work History:
NHS in England, Gothenburg University in Sweden and Charles River Labs (a contract research organisation)
-
Current Job:
Group Leader at Charles River
-
My Interview
-
How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
inquisitive, stubborn, engaged
What was your favourite subject at school?
Chemistry and History
What did you want to be after you left school?
A Research Scientist (or a figher pilot)
Were you ever in trouble at school?
not really
If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?
Board Game Designer
Who is your favourite singer or band?
I am a metal head...I am happiest in a mosh Parkway Drive
What's your favourite food?
Mexican
What is the most fun thing you've done?
Traveled around Sri Lanka for 1 month
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
More time with my family, See more of the world, have a pet dog
Tell us a joke.
An Atom walks into the lost and found and says " I think lost an electron". The person at the counters asks "are you sure", the atom says "yes, Im positive"
-