About us

Welcome to the Science Flu site where we will post science-based curiosities, stories and from time to time, information about research. Without us necessarily being aware, nearly everything in our daily lives is impacted by science. It’s thanks to science and scientists that we have electricity, cars and houses that don’t fall down in a puff of wind!

More and more people are becoming interested in the science. It’s no longer the dry subject it may have been to some of you in school. In fact, data science has now become the buzz word and the Harvard Business Review announced ‘Data Scientist’ as the The Sexiest Job of the 21st Century.

The Science Flu site is named after two professors – Patrick James and Kathleen McInerney. We were awarded our titles of professor after many years of post-doctoral research and teaching which has included a number of articles in renowned academic journals.

You do not have to be a professor to enjoy this site, in fact no previous science knowledge is required at all. Here you can find out how to watch the skies around you, find out how to make fake blood, watch a video of a brain being dissected and find out how flour is milled.

At the same time this website will keep you up-to-date with all the latest news, videos and musings from the team about all things science-based from biological sciences through to astrophysics and more.

Here’s some more about each of us

Patrick James

I first got interested in science in the mid-1980s when my father bought an Amstrad CPC (Colour Personal Computer) 464 home computer which began my love of computer science. After graduation from Cambridge University I worked designing computer software at a telecommunications company in Dorset, England. I had several positions in the computer industry at whilst studying for my PhD, until I was taken on as a full-time lecturer and researcher which led to being awarded the title of Professor.

My current role is at Trinity College Dublin which is an excellent research-intensive university aiming for innovation to tackle significant global issues and challenges. As a lecturer and now a professor, my wish is to pass on that love of learning and how science can be used on a practical level. I am currently working with a student on their PhD project on Data Security Enhancement in Public Cloud Storage Using Data Obfuscation and Steganography.

I don’t just teach at the university but also work in the community, including on a Bright Sparks Project, which was dedicated to raising science achievement amongst BME students in East London. I’ve also taught science in various settings a Young Offenders Institute

Away from science, I train in martial arts and have done since a teenager. I still compete both locally and nationally.

Kathleen McInerney

I have a degree in Biology with French from the University of Sheffield and spent a year abroad studying everything from genetics to biodiversity at the Université de Bourgogne. My real passion lies with insects and I’m hunting for bugs wherever I go. Now I have the best of excuses as my two children Deaglan and Siobhan have inherited the same interest. When the kids were very young, I was able to work for a couple of environmental consulting firms, but was still keen to continue learning with the aim to gain a research position. My PhD was on biodiversity, specifically the prevention, control and eradication of invasive species with multiple approaches.

Whilst I spend a good deal of time in the field and in the lab conducting or helping out with research, plenty of time is spent analysing data, preparing reports and presenting information to others.

I enjoy the hands-on side of science communication and began delivering at science festivals and other public engagement event, particularly in the summer. I’m hoping to bring some of the same communications to this website.

When she is not talking or writing about science, I enjoy baking, in fact I’m a little obsessed with baking since it’s creative, relaxing and a way for me to express myself. mostly it’s delicious. The best part is that baking can make other people happy.