{"id":2008,"date":"2026-02-10T09:34:05","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T09:34:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/on-parade\/?p=2008"},"modified":"2026-02-10T09:34:05","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T09:34:05","slug":"parade-profile-adam-stretton-bsc-molecular-cellular-biology-1998","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/on-parade\/2026\/02\/10\/parade-profile-adam-stretton-bsc-molecular-cellular-biology-1998\/","title":{"rendered":"Parade Profile: Adam Stretton (BSc Molecular & Cellular Biology 1998)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Adam describes himself as someone who is curious and always looking for new challenges.\u00a0At Bath, you could find him trying canoeing,\u00a0playing\u00a0frolf (a frisbee-golf hybrid)\u00a0or even DJing during his slot on URB.\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

His career has been similarly varied, with roles\u00a0from cancer research to running laboratories.\u00a0But it all started at Bath, the place that taught Adam how to be an adult.\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Why did you choose to study at Bath?\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Of\u00a0all the places I checked out during visits,\u00a0Bath\u00a0seemed like the most pleasant and yet exciting place to be.\u00a0It may have been the warm yellow stone,\u00a0the compact campus, the smiling\u00a0faces\u00a0or an eye-opening chat with a fascinating scientist that did it!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Can you tell us about your experience of studying here? Do you have any favourite memories or preferred places to visit on campus or in the city?\u00a0<\/span><\/b> \"\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

I have a tapestry\u00a0of\u00a0brilliant memories\u00a0of\u00a0my time at\u00a0Bath.\u00a0\u00a0Bill Whish was my tutor in the first year, and\u00a0he was\u00a0a real inspiration.\u00a0Other standouts include\u00a0\u00a31\u00a0pint nights in The Plug, making snowmen on the green in Eastwood, hungover brunches in Caf\u00e9\u00a0Retro,\u00a0Karanga\u00a0at the Pavilion, pranks in Eastwood 4 and opening my eyes to cell signalling via the magic\u00a0of\u00a0overhead projector acetates!<\/span><\/p>\n

Were you part of any societies or sports clubs during your time at Bath? What did you enjoy most about them?\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I dabbled in all sorts during my time at Bath, including canoeing, Battle of the Bands and Frolf. But I treasure my late-night slot on URB the most. Sharing the music I love \u2013 even if it was often to an empty Parade \u2013 and attempting to maintain the spontaneity of presenting while getting the timing just right led to a lifelong love of DJing which I still mess around with today.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Describe your career journey since graduating. What is a typical day like in your current role?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m\u00a0curious and always looking for new experiences, which has led to a bunch\u00a0of\u00a0different life sciences jobs.\u00a0I\u2019ve\u00a0been a water microbiology technician sampling the delights\u00a0of\u00a0the River Avon.\u00a0A\u00a0clinical\u00a0scientist, testing\u00a0patients post-transplant for engraftment.\u00a0I\u2019ve\u00a0worked in\u00a0cancer\u00a0research\u00a0in children, taught nurses how to take blood and\u00a0I\u2019ve\u00a0tested cardiovascular filtration loops to ISO standards using gallons\u00a0of\u00a0horse blood.\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0lucky enough to have worked on national specialist panels on blood collection and\u00a0advised\u00a0a healthcare diagnostic lab in rural Rwanda on reaching international standards for accreditation.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Most recently, I\u2019ve been a General Manager, running a laboratory business.\u00a0 These days, I leave the science to the experts (most of the time!) with the post requiring a balance of business strategy with the everyday needs of the talented people staff, and the fantastic customers. The labs provide diagnostic data on health parameters and drug and alcohol use, helping organisations support people, wherever they are.<\/p>\n

What do you enjoy most about your career? Has anything surprised you?\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To me, all science is like climbing a mountain \u2013 every time you think\u00a0you\u2019ve\u00a0nearly reached the peak and\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0just over the next ridge, you realise the mountain is so much bigger and more beautiful than you realised.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A career in biological science means working in a field that evolves astonishingly fast.\u00a0The techniques that were\u00a0cutting-edge\u00a0in my time at\u00a0Bath\u00a0are now mundane, schoolkid stuff.\u00a0This means\u00a0there\u2019s\u00a0always something new to learn and new techniques to try.\u00a0The other\u00a0component\u00a0is that everything you do helps someone, somewhere.\u00a0For me, this combination makes it intensely rewarding and constantly motivating.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How did your studies help you develop?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Bath\u00a0taught me how to \u2018adult\u2019.\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0sure that this is true\u00a0of\u00a0most people who set foot on to campus for the first time. It taught me basic skills and a toolkit\u00a0I\u2019ve\u00a0been developing ever since.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Without my time at\u00a0Bath,\u00a0I\u00a0wouldn\u2019t\u00a0know how to critically appraise information to get to the truth.\u00a0I\u00a0wouldn\u2019t\u00a0know how to respectfully discuss ideas with people holding viewpoints\u00a0very different\u00a0from my own, and I\u00a0wouldn\u2019t\u00a0have the confidence to present evidence to a room full\u00a0of\u00a0people who knew far more than I did!\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It struck me a couple\u00a0of\u00a0days ago that the notation technique I was using to learn from others speaking was one I adopted using trial and error at\u00a0University.<\/span> \"\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Did you have a mentor, tutor, or lecturer who made a significant impact on you?\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The late, great Bill Whish was my tutor for a while during my\u00a0first\u00a0year.\u00a0His endless well\u00a0of\u00a0knowledge and enthusiasm, coupled with a sparkling sense\u00a0of\u00a0humour, made me aspire to match his many talents. I know\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0not alone, and I know his legacy lives on at\u00a0Bath.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You volunteer on Bath Connection \u2013 could you tell us why you give back to Bath in this way?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I remember not having a clue\u00a0of\u00a0what I wanted to do with my life, what my options where, or what to do about the impending end\u00a0of\u00a0my studentdom.\u00a0Careers advice was helpful, but there are so many unanswered questions.\u00a0\u00a0As it was, I made a series\u00a0of\u00a0choices as I came to the end\u00a0of\u00a0my undergraduate degree that have led me through\u00a0an enjoyable\u00a0career.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

By volunteering on\u00a0Bath\u00a0Connection, I hope to be able to answer a few\u00a0of\u00a0the questions that I had at the\u00a0time, and\u00a0give some context to decisions that you make.\u00a0If I can help someone to take a fulfilling next step, then I shall consider that time well-spent.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What advice would you give to prospective students considering studying your course at Bath?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Molecular, Cellular Biology and Biochemistry\u00a0cover\u00a0so many aspects\u00a0of\u00a0biological science that you will\u00a0almost certainly\u00a0find a niche and a passion for life.\u00a0\u00a0Explore it, ask questions, be curious.\u00a0\u00a0Once you do find your future speciality, get to know the people working in the field, and most importantly \u2013 what tricky questions are they trying to answer.\u00a0\u00a0For me, it was connecting the specific experimental work that you do to the big picture that really made me realise that this would be my future career.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Adam describes himself as someone who is curious and always looking for new challenges.\u00a0At Bath, you could find him trying canoeing,\u00a0playing\u00a0frolf (a frisbee-golf hybrid)\u00a0or even DJing during his slot on URB.\u00a0\u00a0 His career has been similarly varied, with roles\u00a0from cancer...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2002,"featured_media":2009,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[128,119],"tags":[5,73,137],"class_list":["post-2008","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-science","category-parade-profiles","tag-alumni","tag-bath-connection","tag-biology"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/on-parade\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2026\/02\/Parade-profile-header-34.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/on-parade\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2008","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/on-parade\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/on-parade\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/on-parade\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2002"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/on-parade\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2008"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/on-parade\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2008\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/on-parade\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2009"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/on-parade\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2008"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/on-parade\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2008"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/on-parade\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2008"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}