A day in the life of
Julian Huppert
Member of parliament
for Cambridge
Julian has been MP for Cambridge since 2010.
Before this he was a fellow in computational
biology at the University of Cambridge.
He spoke to David Sait about his work.
From the lab to the debating chamber
Julian originally trained as an organic chemist. He
gained a PhD in biological chemistry then had a
position as a research scientist at the University of
Cambridge. His research looked at the structures
formed by nucleic acids, providing an insight into the
various functions they perform.
Outside of science, Julian has long been politically
active as a member of the Liberal Democrat party,
including being a county councillor for eight years. In
2010 he was elected as the member of parliament for
Cambridge.
Julian’s time is split between his constituency in
Cambridge and the Houses of Parliament in London,
and so a typical day depends very much on where he
is working.
Life in London
A day in London may start with attending a committee
hearing. Julian sits on the House of Commons Home
Affairs Select Committee, which reports on the work
of government departments and covers areas such
as immigration, policing and drugs policy. The work
of a committee includes discussing reports, receiving
evidence and questioning witnesses.
Meetings and committee work continue into the
afternoon, and during this time the House will start to
sit. Julian will try to get into the debating chamber to
ask questions and contribute to the debates, which
conclude with a vote at around 10pm.
With his background as a research scientist, Julian has
been able to speak knowledgably during recent debates
on drugs policy, arguing for scientific evidence-based
approaches to legislation, and also on collecting tissue
samples as alternatives for animal experimentation in
scientific research.
2010–present,
MP for Cambridge
2007–2010,
academic fellow at the
University of Cambridge
2005–2007,
postdoctoral researcher at
the Wellcome Trust Sanger
Institute
2001–2005,
PhD in biological chemistry
at the University of
Cambridge
1996–2000,
BA MSci in natural sciences,
University of Cambridge
1994–1996,
A-levels in mathematics,
further mathematics,
physics and chemistry
at The Perse School,
Cambridge
Julian’s experience as a scientist is also useful in the
more general work of parliament, eg lobbying for
more money for science in the budget, arguing for the
recognition of PhD qualifications in the immigration
process, or contributing to the debate on libel reform.
As a scientist, Julian is prepared to change his mind if he
receives new evidence. He says that this is rarely seen
in other politicians, as changing your mind is usually
interpreted as a sign of weakness.
Working in Cambridge
Every Friday Julian works in Cambridge. He may spend
the morning visiting schools and companies but much
of his time is spent in his office attending to casework.
Constituents write to Julian asking for his assistance
on a wide variety of matters (such as tax, housing and
immigration) and every letter receives a reply. Any
constituent can make an appointment to see him at
his surgery. Last year Julian and his team dealt with
5500 cases.
Most of the queries his constituents bring are not
scientific in nature, but Julian can use the skills in
problem-solving and analysing evidence he has
developed as a scientist to help to resolve a case.
oChem
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0411INFO - A day in the life of.indd 7
Pathway to
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MP for a
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InfoChem
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25/05/2011 16:08:58