School of Health & Wellbeing

IHW and Public Health researcher Jana Anderson explains why Sir David Attenborough has been a major influence on her life and work, tells us about playing saxophone at her own wedding, and introduces some new family members...

Tell us a bit about what you do in IHW

I am a research fellow in the Public Health group. I study the relationship between our diet and our health, and in my research, I ask questions about how much and what we eat and drink, and how does it affect our health. I am also interested in the way our diet affects the environment around us, including how we produce our food, how we obtain it, how we deal with food waste and packaging and lastly, what should be done to achieve a better future – how to ensure everyone has access to a balanced, healthy, and nutritious food that is also sustainable to the environment that we live in. I care greatly about how much our food choices disturb the balance of our planet and how can we restore our planet by making our choices more sensible.

Apart from my research I also teach and supervise research projects of students studying Masters degree in Public Health and Masters in Food Security and I chair the Athena SWAN maternity, paternity, flexible working & carers group.

What do you enjoy about your role?

I have always loved science ever since I was little - I like exploring, testing and learning new knowledge and I have always been interested in all the natural aspects concerning us and around us. Working in nutritional research gives me an opportunity to do just that - to study many important issues that are interconnected in the way they influence our health and our lives.

What is the best thing about working in IHW?

The culture and the ethos of our institute are very close to my heart....People care about each other. 

IHW has been the best workplace I have ever worked in – not only because of the research we do, but because of the culture and the ethos of our institute that are very close to my heart. Staff in IHW, including research and non-research staff, are all people that care about each other, they care about everyone’s physical and mental wellbeing and a healthy environment, and they are always an inspiration to me, both in terms of their work, and in terms of their other skills, interests, and experience. I also enjoy working with our students, who are interested and motivated and who then have the potential to spread the knowledge and ethos further.

What are the challenges?

The challenges? Oh, I am rubbish at pub quizzes and I do not seem to get any better at it, including our Christmas quiz which is always a challenge for me:-)) But joking aside, the challenges for me have always been brought by the short-term nature of research contracts. But so far, I have been very lucky. Obtaining external funding is also a major challenge, as it is so competitive and I think it is very hard for early career researchers to get larger grants.

Tell us something we might not know about you, or would surprise us

Originally, I studied to be a zoologist, and my first degree was in animal behaviour and ecology. Sir David Attenborough was probably the most influential person to me and possibly deep down the reason why I came to the UK. Gradually, I moved on to biomedical research and public health, but his work has never been too far from my research interests, including his latest calls for more sustainable diet. Apart from science, music is my other passion. I attended music school for many years, and I played in variety of musical ensembles – I played the alto saxophone in a wedding band (which then also performed at my own wedding) and I played the bassoon in several orchestras. When I was in my 20s and I first came to Glasgow, I had fun playing in a band called SambaYaBamba which was often the first act of the Glasgow West End Festival Parade. I must admit that walking in the middle of Byres Road surrounded by the spectators was an amazing experience.

When or where are you happiest?

On a warm, still, summer day, this is when I am the happiest. I love having a tall latte and a catch up with my family and my friends, especially if it is somewhere surrounded by beautiful landscape, flowers, trees and wildlife. But I am also happy to be there on my own while listening to the conversations of other people or to the songs of our wild birds, such as the chiffchaff, dunnock, sparrows or the male black birds when they sing at dusk.

I also love working and relaxing in the garden with my dog, a beautiful Hungarian Vizsla called Kapka - which means a raindrop in Czech. And at work, I am super happy when I discover something unexpected or unknown or when my paper gets accepted.

Any secret – or not so secret! – ambitions?

I used the time in the lockdown to do something I always wanted to try but never had the time and opportunity to do it: I tried to be more "sustainable" when obtaining food and go to the shops less: for example, last year I learned how to bake my favourite bread, and I grew fresh fruit and vegetables in our garden. And the maddest part of this effort was that with my kids we researched, incubated and successfully hatched 8 Khaki Campbell ducklings from eggs that we bought on Ebay. We have learned how to look after them, have managed to adapt our house to be able to keep them in (because of the regulations due to bird flu) and are now looking forward that, in a few months, we will have our own lovely duck eggs that are delicious on their own or in baking.

Do you have a favourite quote or saying, or mantra by which you try to live your life?

I try to be more mindful, and live in a moment - as sometimes when I get too busy, I forget to notice all the beautiful things around me and I know I will never be able to get that time back. I also try and take photos more often, even if I do not do anything extraordinary, because I can look at the photos and relive some of the moments later - I never know which of the past moments I may want to remember the most or how much I did not notice the first time.

If you would like to appear in "Five minutes with...", do please get in touch (jane.goodfellow@glasgow.ac.uk)! We aim to alternate professional services and research/teaching staff profiles, and feature colleagues from across a wide range of roles and grades within our institute. 

---

First published: 21 September 2020