"5 minutes with..." Danny Bradford
Published: 1 June 2023
MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit PGR student Danny Bradford tells us about an unusual career path, his research into the health and development of young children in care, and running at dusk in the company of bats...
Spend 5 minutes with MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit's Danny Bradford... (PGR Student)
Tell us a bit about what you do in SHW
I'm a second year PhD student in the Social & Public Health Sciences Unit (SPHSU). My research looks at differences in health and development between young children in care (e.g., foster care or living with family members other than parents) and those not in care. Children in care generally face greater barriers to achieving good health and the purpose of the work is identify aspects of their health and development where the most additional support is needed. The work is supervised by Denise Brown, Mirjam Allik, and Alex McMahon and is part of the Inequalities research stream within the SPHSU.
What do you enjoy about studying here?
The SPHSU feels more like a non-academic workplace than a typical academic research and teaching department. This creates a far more collegiate and collaborative environment compared to the experiences described by friends that are postgraduates in other schools within the university. All of the work the SPHSU does is also fundamentally intended to help people. For me, that makes it a very motivating place to be part of; I'm consistently inspired whenever I speak to colleagues about their work.
What are the challenges?
Passing up opportunities. There are so many pieces of potential work that I would like to contribute to but have to say no to because of the ticking clock of my PhD funding period.
What is the best thing about studying in SHW?
The people that I get to spend time with in the SPHSU and Clarice Pears building.
Tell us something we might not know about you
My undergraduate degree is in aeronautical engineering and I spent a few years working as a research aerodynamicist in the aerospace sector.
When or where are you happiest?
Running along the quieter parts of the Forth and Clyde canal at dusk in springtime when the bats are out.
Tell us about something (or more than one thing!) you are proud of
Quitting my job in engineering and starting out on a new direction in health and social care. Switching from a cushy desk job with solid future prospects to disability support work having zero prior experience isn't necessarily the easiest change to make. But I'm pleased I made that switch. Riding out the highs and lows that the latter sort of work can provide, not really knowing what the longer-term future held, eventually led to the opportunity to join the SPHSU.
If you could have your time again, what might you do differently?
At an earlier point in life I would have liked someone to prompt me to think about how my choices and actions impact others and to be more aware of the suffering of others. It wasn't until a few years into working in engineering that I realised that unthinkingly following a career choice made when I was about eight years old had turned out to be something of a mistake.
Any secret – or not so secret! – ambitions?
Nope. Prefer to enjoy things as they are now rather than hanging happiness on things that might or might happen in future.
Do you have a favourite quote or saying, or mantra by which you try to live your life?
Live, laugh, love. Jokes. No, no mantras for me.
If you would like to appear in "5 minutes with...", do please get in touch (shwadmin@glasgow.ac.uk)! We aim to feature colleagues from across a wide range of roles and grades within our school, both staff and students, research/teaching and professional services.
First published: 1 June 2023