Profile – Dr Tom Phillips, Cardiff University

Dr Tom Phillips

Name:

Dr Tom Phillips

Job title:

Research Associate

Place of work / study:

UK Dementia Research Institute at Cardiff University

Area of Research:

The role of microglia in dementia

How is your work funded:

My funding currently comes from the UKDRI which is funded by grants from MRC, ARUK and Alzheimer’s society

Tell us a little about yourself:

I started off as a medical student at the University of Leicester before realising I prefer the bench to the bedside. I completed a BSc in Molecular Biology at Sheffield University and then a PhD at the University of Bristol studying the effects of pre-eclampsia on the developing foetal brain. I then spent a year at a pharmaceutical start up working on a pre-eclampsia treatment. At that point I joined the team at the newly set up Cardiff Dementia Research Institute.

Tell us a fun fact about yourself:

I have 17 pets at home (3 dogs, 3 rabbits, an axolotl, a bearded dragon and 9 tortoises)

Why did you choose to work in dementia?

I’ve always been fascinated by the complexity of the brain and the incredible depth of interactions between cells that makes us who we are. At the same time I’ve always wanted my work to have clinical relevance and the building heath crisis of dementia is a challenge that needs much more attention.