FAQ

FAQ

Q. Is this blog your professional one or a personal one?
It's personal in terms of it having absolutely no association whatsoever with any of my employers (past or present), any of my collaborators, funding bodies or other professional interests and that all views are my own. I do write about science, true, and I do write about my own research, however. It is part of my job as a scientist to "outreach" my science to the public and this is one of many ways in which I do it - this blog is merely one of the tools I use for outreach, it is not my professional blog in terms of direct association with my  job.
Q. How are you associated to the Albert Kennedy Trust?
I’m not (other than donating money to them every month). I link to them at the top of every page simply because they’re a charity that I choose to support and promote as much as possible. I’m quite simply disgusted by the fact that they have to exist but while persecution of these young people still happens in the UK (and elsewhere!), they need all the help they can get. Please help them, if you can.

Q. You write about your disabilities - what is your formal diagnosis?
Officially, I have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) with features of both Type I and Type III. Secondary to this, I have Raynaud's Syndrome, Myofascial Pain Syndrome, some degree of Chairi Malformation, Livedo Reticularis, Scoliosis, Molluscoid Pseudotumors and various neurological and gastrointestinal problems secondary to EDS. I also have cyclothymia. I believe that only through complete openness about diagnoses and our adaptations to be able to lead relatively "normal" (whatever that means) lives, can disabled people truly become accepted by society - many people would be surprised to hear that in 2013 we still get abused in the street but it's true - happens to me at least once a month.