
Helen Jinton
Welcome to our newest AutoCRAT member, Helen Jinton who is based at the University of Gothenburg within Professor Anders Lindhal’s research group. Danielle Nicholson at Pintail Limited asked Helen some questions to become acquainted with her and her work.
Where did you grow up? Was there something or someone there that encouraged your interest in science?
I grew up in Mölndal, just outside Gothenburg. It almost counts as a part of Gothenburg, depending on who you ask. I did not really have anyone who specifically encouraged my interest in science. It’s just something I’ve always found interesting.
What and where did you study at university?
I’m a Biomedical scientist and did my Bachelor of Science in Biomedical laboratory science at the University of Gothenburg. I have also previously studied biology at the University level. I did my bachelor’s thesis at the Institute of Biomedicine, University of Gothenburg with Kristina Vukusic as my supervisor. Kristina is one of the researchers responsible for the AutoCRAT project here in Gothenburg.
Describe your work and the techniques/methods/technologies you plan to use in your work for AutoCRAT.
Before starting to work in Anders Lindahl’s group here at Gothenburg University, I worked at the Clinical Pathology lab at Sahlgrenska University Hospital. There I learned how to perform tissue preparation, paraffin embedding, tissue sectioning and so forth. During my bachelor thesis, I learned how to perform immunohistochemistry with three different antibodies, as well as fluorescence microscopy plus image processing.My work for AutoCRAT revolves mainly around the sheep study that is currently ongoing. I will be doing most of the laboratory work with tissue preparation, sectioning and staining. I will also photograph the individual tissue sections and process the images in a program called Image J.
In your opinion, what is exciting about working on the project?
For me, it’s very inspirational and, of course, educational to be a part of such a large project. I’m still contemplating whether I’m going to pursue a master’s degree and eventually a Ph.D. To see how these kinds of projects work is interesting and, like I said before, inspirational.
What do you like most about living in Gothenburg?
Gothenburg is the perfect large city, which still has this kind of small-town vibe. I’ve lived here my entire life and I think it’s a great city, but I may be a little bit biased.
How do you like to spend your free time?
I spend a lot of my free time at the stable. I’ve been involved with equestrian sport for a long time, and have been competing a little in show jumping. I’m also a photographer, where I mainly do landscape and nature photography. The rest is spent with family and friends.