Dr. Bruno Reversade

Principal Investigator

Industry:

A*Star Institute of Medical Biology

Country:

France

Been in Singapore since February 2008

It’s a good thing his green Vespa scooter whizzes him to work within five minutes, because Dr. Bruno Reversade visits his lab seven days a week to check on his frogs, fish and mice.

A day in my life

1. 7.45 am

   I love my sleep, but my kids make sure I’m up when they are! My daughter is 4, and my son, who was born here, is 2. I help get them dressed and brush their teeth and vice versa.

2. 8.30 am

   I drop the children off at the preschool across the road, and my wife gets a lift to the Buona Vista MRT station to reach the Singapore Art Museum (SAM). Everything is nearby, including my lab at Biopolis. My trusty Vespa gets me in every day before 9, it the weather permits.

3. 9.00 am

   A quick word with my team about what’s on today, after going through my email and my morning coffee. Our group investigates the natural cloning effect that occurs with the birth of identical twins. We are not out to make clones, but I’d like to be able to raise awareness on the way people view the process, like how they’ve come to accept IVF (In-Vitro Fertilisation).

4. 10.00 am

   Another batch of embryos are in from the husbandry across from our building. One of the pluses of working in a top–notch biomedical R&D hub like Biopolis is the convenience. Facilities are handy and collaborations with other scientists are as easy as walking over to the next lab and having a chat.

5. 1.00 pm

   We break for lunch at Ghim Moh Market just a few minutes away. There’s this lady there who prepares a simple yet refreshing dish of raw fish with ginger. I think it called sheng yu pian (生魚片).  
   I’m game for most asian delicacies -  including durian. 

6. 2.00 pm

   Back at the lab, carrying on with the injecting of embryos which we started this morning. My team and I work side–by–side along the lab benches. Ideas are thrown up for discussion as Cody, our bright orange inflated mascot, listens in from atop a filing cabinet. He’s our hardest working team member – there 24 hours a day!

7. 6.00 pm

   I pin up another news article about identical twins on my wall, next to my daughter’s latest drawing. I’ll have to see about getting to that part of the world for new DNA samples to work on.

8. 8.00 pm

   I could keep going till midnight, but now I’m headed back for dinner with the family. I wish I could say I’m out partying every night, but no… I sing lullabies instead to my two little devils. A privilege indeed.