- Name
Layal Liverpool (she/her) - Job title
Science journalist and author - A levels/ equivalent
Biology, Chemistry, Maths (A level) and German (AS level) - Undergrad and post grad degrees
BSc Immunology and Infection
PhD Infection, Immunology and Translational Medicine - Favourite science fact
We all have ancient viruses embedded in our DNA. - Journey in 3 Words
Curious. Scientist. Journalist. - Briefly describe your current role
I’m a science journalist and the author of Systemic: How Racism Is Making Us Ill. As a journalist, I write news, features and opinion articles about the latest developments in scientific research and policy, with a particular focus on inequalities in science, medicine and health. My writing has appeared in outlets including Nature, New Scientist, Wired, the Guardian and the Observer. - What motivated you to pursue a career in science ?
As a child I was always interested in science, including the world around us as well as the world within us – our biology. At school, I was lucky to have a brilliant biology teacher who happened to have a PhD herself and inspired me to study science at university. During my bachelor’s degree in biomedical sciences at University College London, I took a course in infection and became obsessed with viruses. I think viruses are particularly fascinating because they are extremely simple – essentially just packages of genes – and yet they are capable of causing such complex and often devastating diseases (as we saw during the covid-19 pandemic). I decided to specialise in virology and immunology, and later to pursue a PhD in this area at the University of Oxford. My PhD research investigated how invading viruses are detected by the body’s immune system.
- How was the transition between lab researcher to journalist and what inspired the transition ?
During my PhD, I did a lot of science communication and outreach work, for example volunteering at a Saturday science club for children run by Science Oxford. I hoped that in doing so I might be able to show children from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds that science is for everyone. I also started writing for science blogs, and I soon realised that I had a real passion for communicating and writing about science. During the penultimate year of my PhD, I was awarded a British Science Association Media Fellowship, which I used to do a short placement on the science desk at the Guardian newspaper in London. That’s where I realised that I wanted to pursue a career in science journalism. A week after successfully defending my PhD, I moved from Oxford to London to start an internship at the science magazine New Scientist.
How would you describe the difference in work-life balance?
There are actually a lot of similarities between working in scientific research and working in journalism, including when it comes to work-life balance. Both professions involve asking questions and doing research, with the goal of discovering new information – and scientists and journalists are also both very passionate about what they do. There’s a saying, “Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.” I think that saying is completely wrong – when you’re passionate about what you do, it can be difficult not to become completely consumed by it. I think it’s important to take breaks and prioritise self-care, as this is what enables us to be effective at work while also (hopefully) enjoying what we do. Of course, that’s easier said than done!
How did you know a pHd was for you?
I’m a naturally curious person, who enjoys asking questions and discovering new things. I think those are good qualities for both a scientist and a journalist. Doing a PhD provided me with excellent training in asking scientific questions and investigating them independently.
What are some key highlights in your journey as a biomedical researcher?
I really enjoyed sharing my research with others, from talking about science at schools to presenting my findings at international scientific conferences. I also enjoyed expanding my knowledge in virology and immunology, not only through my own research on antiviral immune responses but also through attending seminars and reading scientific papers from colleagues and other scientists in my field.
What advice would you give someone wanting to follow your career journey ?
I think it’s important to emphasise that you don’t need a PhD to become a science journalist. There are plenty of brilliant science journalists who don’t have science degrees at all. What’s important is having a passion and ability to communicate complex scientific concepts to a wider audience, and being both curious and critical. Having said that, doing a PhD can be extremely rewarding and I still use skills that I acquired while working as a medical researcher on a daily basis. If you are interested in pursuing a career in either scientific research or journalism, I would recommend finding people who inspire you in those fields and looking at the steps they took to get where they are now. I also recommend reaching out to people for advice and mentorship. I started writing about science for science blogs and on my own Instagram blog long before I moved into science journalism, and I think that experience helped me a lot in my career. Doing internships at the Guardian and New Scientist also helped me to build my portfolio and establish myself as a journalist.
- How long did Systemic take to put together and how did you deal with the information you were finding on a personal level ?
I spent a year researching and writing the first draft of Systemic, but by the time of publication in June it will have been three years since I first started working on this project. Editing is often an invisible process but is so vital. My brilliant editors at Bloomsbury Publishing in the UK and Astra House Publishing in the US helped enormously to elevate the book with their thoughtful feedback and suggestions. The book was also very much informed by my years of science journalism, including investigations of inequalities and biases in science, medicine and health. Reporting on these issues definitely affected me on a personal level – the impact of racism on our health is truly devastating. For instance, I went through pregnancy and gave birth to my son during the final stages of editing the book, and I found it particularly difficult to face the statistics on Black maternal health during that time. In the UK, Black women die during pregnancy and childbirth at four times the rate of White women – and 43 per cent of Black and Black Mixed women in England report feeling discriminated against in their maternity care. This was something that affected me during my own pregnancy and motivated me to get my book out there.
TCIM 
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