I
am an evolutionary geneticist working on human genomics and have a PhD from Cambridge
University. It was a great experience where I focused my studies on the
molecular (DNA and proteins) evolution between species, specifically in
primates and mammals. I have since built on that experience by doing a
postdoctoral fellowship in population genetics (usually within a single
species) of humans using high throughput (that means a lot) genomic data. The
genome is all three million bases of DNA (genes, plus their context) in the
cells of our bodies. This latter work is particularly rewarding as it has
health and medical implications.
The
second area tends to focus on my disability. I walk with a limp and have used a
cane every day for the last few years. It usually comes up in conversation as I
have skipped in front of even the 1st class passengers with priority
boarding. My limp is a result of spina bifida occulta and a tethered spinal cord. If it sounds painful you are not mistaken. When
people ask when I “came down” with it I usually say at birth, though
technically it was before, but we didn’t notice till high school and then I had
spinal surgery. I tend to respond, when in pain, with some humor or light
heartedness to ease the tension I feel from those around me. I think it has
been confusing for some of my doctors when I tell them, I cannot walk, but then
laugh or make a joke.
I
also tend to be bull-headed about the pain as it motivates me to work harder. A
month after my surgery I was back running cross-country (without doctor
approval), though I was never any good, as a limp tends to make you a bit
slower. After my surgery the pain and leg strength were stable for quite a few
years. Two years into my PhD it acted up significantly. Neuropathic pain is not
fun: burning, stabbing, and electrical shock are not bad descriptions. As a
result I had to work from home for the last year of my PhD. To facilitate this our
family was blessed to have my sister-in-law live with us. Through the grace of
God, my loving family’s support, and many blessings from the priesthood of God,
I was able to finish in three years.
This
is why my family also inevitably comes up when speaking with new people. I am a
proud husband and father of three. I have a great family that provides no end of
happiness to my life. I was odd in graduate school as I started with one child and
had a second while still in school, and now as a postdoc we had a third. They
really are the joy of my life.
The
last area of my life, which inevitably follows from stating I have three
children at such a “young” age, is that I am a Mormon (www.mormon.org). I have
been a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) all my
life. But I am not a member because of others, I am a member because I have personal
knowledge of my Heavenly Father as well as faith and trust in Him. I have had
to rely on Him constantly, because of my personal trials and I feel a close
connection to Him. I am a follower of Jesus Christ and do my best to live up to
that commitment. I have decided to start this blog to that end. It is my hope
that something I blog about will help others in their journey to return to live
with God through the saving grace and atonement of Jesus Christ. It is only by
Him that we can be saved and I feel it is my responsibility to make an active
effort in helping God our Heavenly Father and His Son in their mission to redeem
mankind (Moses 1:39).
I
can’t do much, but I can bare witness to the miracles I see every day both in
the natural world, as well as the workings of God in my life. I am a scientist
so I am privileged enough to explore the hand of God in my occupation. I am
also a mortal being with my share of physical trials, so I get to see how God
can lift me up, comfort me, and give me the strength to do all things he
commands of me (1 Ne 3:7; 17:50).
My hope for this blog is that someone, somewhere will feel the testimony I try to
convey, and come just a little bit closer to God.
