Q&A with
Tom Day
Tom Day is the faculty’s student
recruitment officer. He’s also
completing a PhD in medicinal
chemistry. And he’s an accomplished
music composer and producer.
We talk to Tom about how he came
to be here, how these sometimes
competing interests can complement
each other, and where they may one
day lead.
Cue music…
16
“Music production became my outlet or escape from the
research world. Whenever I was out of the lab, I was
sitting in my room writing new songs.”
What led you to Monash? Tell us about your
pathway and research.
How and where does music-making fit into
all of this?
I originally studied medicinal chemistry at La
Trobe after not quite making it into Monash.
I had too much fun in Year 12! I made the jump
to the Monash pharmaceutical science honours
program, which paved the way for a PhD.
Around the time I was delving into science
during high school, I developed an interest
in music production. This evolved through my
undergraduate years, with several labels expressing
interest in my music, including the UK-based
Ministry of Sound. So I was gradually exposed to
various audiences around the world. Since then,
my music has evolved from traditional ‘dance’
music to more ambient and downtempo genres.
I also began releasing independently instead of
relying on record labels to distribute my music.
My research project was under Professor Peter
Scammells. I designed small molecule inhibitors
for an over-expressed enzyme found in several
tumours, including ovarian and endometrial
cancers. The enzyme is also implicated in
chemotherapy resistance and endometrial
disorders such as endometriosis. The compounds
I designed were based on the common household
anti-inflammatory drug, aspirin.
What drew you to this? Why medicinal
chemistry?
Music production became my outlet or escape
from the research world. Whenever I was out of
the lab, I was sitting in my room writing new songs.
I think the two worlds complemented each other
really well – a bad day in the lab resulted in a
melancholic, ominous track.
Life and physical sciences always sparked my
interest. Medicinal chemistry, being the perfect
intersection of chemistry and biology, was
something I’d wanted to pursue since high school.
I loved the idea of being able to create new
molecules that can alter the body’s processes
and aid in treating disease.
In recent years, my music has gained some
attention for use in film and advertising. My tracks
have been licensed by National Geographic,
Holden and Volvo, as well as independent film
producers around the globe. I’ve also managed
to play a few live shows around town, including
last year’s Melbourne Music Week.
In terms of the recruitment world, being able to
excite and educate students about how they can
use their science in future careers is a great reward.
It’s a challenge to create content that’s informative
as well as entertaining, but when you pull it off
and get a positive response from a classroom
of students, it’s a huge pat on the back.
Tell us about your work as student recruitment
officer. Does it help recruiting students when
you’re actually a student as well as a
recruitment officer?
Absolutely! I think the model of student recruitment
is starting to shift towards content-based
workshops as opposed to course presentations
and expos. I still remember when CSIRO came
to my school in Year 10 and ran a workshop in my
science class. It has a huge effect when someone
external comes in and discusses the science
behind their field.