Gabby Samuel

After the completion of my PhD in molecular genetics (1999-2002), I completed a two-year post-doc in molecular microbiology at the University of Sydney (2003-2005).

Following this I moved into the empirical bioethics arena. Here I worked at the Centre for Values, Ethics, and the Law in Medicine at the University of Sydney (Australia), where I conducted research into the ethics of direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription medicines as well as the ethics of umbilical cord blood banking. I returned to the UK in 2008. Since this time I have completed an internship at the Nuffield council of Bioethics. I am currently completing my Wellcome Trust biomedical ethics-funded PhD. I have recently been awarded a Wellcome Trust scholarship to complete a three-month internship at the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology.

My research involves exploring how information about a specific neurotechnology gets translated from academic scholars to the mass media, and to then explore respondents’ views and beliefs about the technology. My case study is the use of functional magnetic imaging (fMRI) for patients who have a severe brain injury. Elements of my research have included: a newspaper analysis of the portrayal of fMRI for individuals with a severe brain injury; interviews with individuals who have a relative with a severe brain injury to explore their views and beliefs about the technology; and interviews with science press officers to explore their role as science communicators.