I really enjoyed science at school and took A-Level Biology, Maths and Chemistry. My Biology teacher really captured my interest in Biology as I loved understanding why and how certain animals and plants adapted to their environments. I was very close to pursing a medical degree but decided to do a Biochemistry degree at Leeds University instead. The course was fascinating learning about how the cells in our body works, what our impact changes in our DNA makes and I got my first introduction to the biochemistry of infectious diseases. I took a virology module in my degree and it fascinated me that such small entities - a virus, could have such large impacts on the host that they infect. They are extremely clever and always adapting to the environment they find themselves in. I knew I wanted to work with viruses and pit my wits against them in an elaborate game of chess to find solutions to stop viruses causing disease or use the viruses to be useful to humans and animals. I did a PhD looking at the Hepatitis C virus and then moved into the field of Influenza viruses. I was lucky to work at one in one of the best influenza groups in the UK and the group leader was a woman who had her own family yet was at the top of her field answering fundamental questions about influenza. She was an inspiring role model that showed me that I could have the family I wanted and be a researcher too.