Profile
Chiara Bortoluzzi
Candidate CV questions (extra)
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Education
2016- 2020. Ph.D. in Animal Breeding and Genomics, Wageningen University, the Netherlands
2014-2016. M.Sc. in Animal Breeding and Genomics, Wageningen University, the Netherlands
2011-2014. B.Sc. in Animal Sciences and Technologies, University of Padova, Italy
2012-2014. Conservatory of Music “C. Pollini”, Padova, Italy
2002-2012. High school of music “G. Rossini”, Belluno, Italy
2007-2011. Classical high school, Belluno, Italy
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Work History
2020-now. Research associate, Department of genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
2019-2020. Visiting researcher, French national institute of Agriculture, Paris, France
2016 (6 mon). Research intern, Center for Quantitative Genetics and Genomics, University of Aarhus, Denmark
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Current Job
Research associate at the Department of Genetics at the University of Cambridge
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Employer
University of Cambridge
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About Me:
I was born and raised in Italy by a French mum and an Italo-Belgian dad. Aside from literature, history, music, and art, I love to use science as a tool to understand and protect our world’s biodiversity.
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Read more
Hi all,
my name is Chiara and I am a molecular biologist working at the University of Cambridge. After studying and working in many different European countries (Italy, the Netherlands, Denmark, France), I am now living in the beautiful city of Cambridge together with my partner. I have an unconditional love for ginger cats. I love listening to music, reading books (mostly classic novels and historical/political essays), playing piano, traveling around the world, and watching movies (and yes, Japanese anime).
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My Work:
I look for interesting signatures in the DNA that can explain why species look like that and what we can do to make sure that they do not go extinct
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I'm currently working on these species doing this:
As a graduate student, I mostly worked on domesticated bird species. The idea there was to analyse their DNA to find changes in the DNA alphabet that have a negative effect on their survival and that in the long-term could drive these species to extinction. At the same time, I also looked for changes in the DNA that could explain why certain individuals have features/traits that others do not have. For example, I was able to clarify the genetic origin and cause of foot feathering, a very interesting trait that involves the development of feathers on the feet and ankle of certain bird species.
At the moment, on top of birds (definitely my favourites), I am working on other species including butterflies, moths, and fish. My objective is to identify and analyse regions in the genome that are similar – if not identical – among species. I am particularly interested in understanding when and how these regions have originated, how have they evolved, and what is they role (for example: are they responsible for certain features?). From a more practical perspective, I am continuing my work as conservation biologist, using DNA as a tool to inform conservation programmes of endangered species.
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
cat-loving, otaku, sunny
What or who inspired you to follow your career?
My dad
What was your favourite subject at school?
History and science (with equal merit)
What did you want to be after you left school?
Veterinarian
Were you ever in trouble at school?
Not really. I never skipped a single day in my entire school life :)
If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?
Historian, scholar of Asian literature, or musician
Who is your favourite singer or band?
Difficult to say as I love all types of music. However, the ones that I often listen to are Lacuna coil, Fox capture plan, Steven Wilson, and Jinjer
What's your favourite food?
Aubergine parmigiana
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
Have a ginger cat, a Czechoslovakian wolfdog, and enough money to buy all the books in my wish list
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