Field of research/work: Genetics and respiratory health
YTS Years: 2026
Maxwell's Notable career moments
Convinced I was going to be a marine biologist and got a scholarship to fly over Antarctica
Having doubts but spent a week doing marine research with UTAS on maria island
Pivoted to wanting to do medical sciences after COVID-19 came
Graduated with my degree in medical research at UTAS
Started my PhD in lung genetics
About Maxwell Sharp
Have you ever wondered why your eyes are the colour they are, how tall you are, and why your hair is curly or straight? This is because of your DNA and it’s different for everyone! Just like a Lego set has a list of instructions to build, your DNA is the instructions that tells your body what to do. Scientists around the world have been working to understand these instructions and I’m one of these scientists as well!
The specific part of DNA that I’m really interested in are called telomeres. They are at the end of your DNA and help to protect it, just like the plastic caps on the end of your shoelaces. But just like the rest of your DNA, telomeres are different for everyone. So, I look to see how these differences impact the health of your lung.
My interest in science started when I first started learning about animals in school, and as I got older my interest grew and I knew that I wanted to become a scientist. It took me a long time to figure out what kind of scientist I wanted to be, but eventually I decided on a medical scientist where I can help people be as healthy as they can be.
Now I’m just like the scientists you think of wearing a white coat, using brightly coloured liquid and if you catch me on a bad day, I even have the crazy hair!
