Chatting about his latest research into tardigrades (hardy microscopic organisms found almost everywhere on Earth), Dominic’s passion for his subject is clear.
A microbiology lecturer at Teesside University, he is keen to get his students on board and is an advocate for the simplicity of science.
There’s no denying it all sounds quite complex but the 42-year-old from Middlesbrough is adamant it isn’t.
And having transformed his own career as an adult student, his ambition is now to inspire a new generation of scientists.
Having previously worked in a host of different jobs from Hollywood Bowl to Carphone Warehouse, a stint in pub management and running his own business, it was at 34 that Dominic decided to return to college looking for a career he felt passionate about.
Choosing an Access to Higher Education in Health course at Redcar and Cleveland College, he said he still wasn’t clear on which direction to take, but fate was ready to lend a hand.
“With a handful of 20-year-old GCSEs, I never believed I could be something like a scientist,” he said.
But his teachers’ enthusiasm for their subject at college gave him, as an adult student, not just the qualification and knowledge, but also a new perspective on teaching and learning.
Ultimately offered a place to study biological science at Teesside University, he said: “At first, I thought, will I be able to do this? Am I capable?”
But he added: “I see now I had an unrealistic view of who scientists are.”
By the end of his first year at university, Dominic said he truly started to find his footing and from that point on loved every minute. By second and third year he knew he had the ability, the acumen and the passion.
When he spotted an opportunity for a PhD, working with one of his lecturers, he was quick to put his application forward, resulting in another four years of academic research and the chance to share his work and findings with current undergraduates.
The job as a microbiology lecturer again arrived at just the right time and with all the relevant experience and knowledge under his belt, as Dominic says, it was a case of right time and right place.
Now based at the brand-new state-of-the-art BIOS building on the university’s Middlesbrough campus, he is as comfortable in the lab as any “boffin”. He wants people to know that scientists are normal people, but they get to do “extraordinary things”.
When it comes to teaching his own students, the team at Redcar and Cleveland College are an inspiration. He said: “The supportive teaching the tutors gave really made learning fun and their passion for the subjects was clear to see. I will always say it was this course that gave me the passion for learning and a bedrock for which I base my teaching today.”
Looking at how his life has changed, he added: “Having the honour of being a lecturer in microbiology at Teesside University, I can now carry on my own research, and I hope to inspire others.
“Here at the university, we are keen to let students know we have so much to offer. Often local students don’t realise the amazing opportunities that are on their doorsteps, or the diversity of science subjects that are available here.
“I love having the freedom this career has given me, to be able to carry out my own research and inspire future scientists, particularly those who, like me, may not think they have the ability or that it’s too late to start.”
