Meet the Staff: Jonathan Tipping

Job Title: Laboratory Services Support
By George Thirlway, Research Technician and Coordinator for Public Engagement

George: What is your main role here at the Prion Unit?
Jonathan: I am lab services support as part of the lab management team.

George: How long have you worked here?
Jonathan: Since 20^th June 2022.

George: Did you attend university and if so what did you study?
Jonathan: I did, I attended London South Bank University initially to study Film Practice. It was essentially learning editing and directing as well as analysing movies, but after a year I decided it was more of a hobby so I switched to a foundation degree in bioscience. After that I started a masters in immunology at King’s College London, which was during Covid lockdowns so was mostly online with about three months of in lab work towards the end.

George: Very interesting. What was your previous job before this? How did you get here?
Jonathan: I worked as a venepuncturist in the NHS for about two years before starting at the Prion Unit. I started during my masters as I had just moved to London from Bicester village. After that I wanted to work a job where I was still part of research and lab work, even if not directly but at least associated with it as well as taking on a management role.
I wasn’t actually that good at science in school, but I just went for it and ended up finishing top of my class with a 1^st in my degrees. Now I’m here and I love it. I just keep doing things that I like and it keeps working out for the best. I really enjoy my job especially getting to interact with everyone at all levels.

George: What does a typical day look like for you then?
Jonathan: So I check deliveries, which can arrive at any time of the day. I receive them, ensuring everything is stored correctly as a lot of items are temperature sensitive. I will stock all consumables for each floor, going to each lab and storeroom, filling up and ordering anything that is needed. There are also weekly and monthly audits including CL3 labs, flushing eyewash stations to prevent legionella, etc. I cover general housekeeping too, organising with UCL estates for maintenance around the Unit or fixing things myself if I am able.
I am also one of the Unit’s Green Champions alongside Azy, aiming to increase sustainability in research and obtain a gold award for the Unit. I work on the LEAF criteria specifically for labs - Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework.

George: When was the first time you learnt what a prion was?
Jonathan: During my undergraduate degree we had a module on diseases, and prions were one of the options available to write an essay on. I found them very interesting and so different to everything else we had covered.

George: Why did you choose to work with/about prions?
Jonathan: Just getting to be a part of research that benefits people, no matter how directly I am involved.

George: What would you say is your favourite thing about working at the Prion Unit?
Jonathan: Probably that I am not just confined to a desk all day, I get to be up and about all over the whole building and interacting with everyone from top to bottom. It does help that everyone here is great!

George: Do you have any favourite memories of specific days working here?
Jonathan: Probably the Christmas party last year. It was great to have fun outside of work and forming bonds with everyone. Particularly singing karaoke to finish the night.

George: What is something that surprised you about working at the Unit?
Jonathan: Just how many deliveries one lab can have. I couldn’t believe the sheer volume of things that go into a research institute that are constantly coming in.

George: When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up? And how close is your current role?
Jonathan: I honestly don’t know. I was just riding the wave of being a kid and didn’t really give it much thought. Something in film though, I liked the idea of doing that until I realised not as a career but more of a hobby.

George: With that in mind if you weren't doing this job, money no object, what would you be doing instead?
Jonathan: Probably the next Steven Spielberg! To be honest I enjoy a job that is rewarding like working in the NHS or here. Something that I know is helping to make an impact on a lot of people.

George: Do you have a favourite science fact you’d like to share?
Jonathan: Bananas are actually radioactive! They contain a lot of potassium, including a very small percentage of potassium-40 which is the source of the radioactivity.

George: What are some of your interests or hobbies outside of science?
Jonathan: I recently got into jiu-jitsu and train in Bicester. I enjoy the physicality of it and it is also similar to chess, in terms of having to mentally assess the situation. It is always changing depending on what you and your opponent do. It can be very humbling. I also enjoy actual chess too, and still do some film editing when I can.

George: What is your favourite place you have travelled to and what was the best food you had there?
Jonathan: Czechia, not sure if it counts as I was born there. It has to be my Grandma’s goulash and svíčková – with Czech dumplings, a vegetable sauce made from scratch and beef that just melts in your mouth.

George: Amazing, I loved the goulash when I visited Prague, although I imagine your Grandma’s is even better! Do you have any pets?
Jonathan: No, but as there is always someone in the house it seems like a good time to adopt a dog so I’m looking into that. I have wanted one forever!

George: Is there any particular media you’re into at the moment you would like to share?
Jonathan: I have actually been playing a lot of Hogwarts Legacy, a Harry Potter game on my PS5. It’s prompted me to reread the books too!

Thank you to Jonathan for taking the time to share so much about himself and his role here at the MRC Prion Unit at UCL. We look forward to bringing you more insight into the great work we do here and the brilliant people behind it all.