108: Darren Griffin 2021

It was a huge pleasure to record my second Nostalgia Interview with Darren Griffin, Professor of Genetics, whom I first met in 2019. For our catch up interview we talk about the implications of lockdown on his work and how lockdown has enabled Darren and his team to have a productive year, publishing 43 manuscripts. We talk about the adoption of different work practices and why recording your own lectures can be the worst of all worlds.

We discuss synchronous and asynchronous modes of delivery and what shape teaching will take post-lockdown. We learn about his musical passions and the way radio can improve your mood. He talks about resurrecting old tech – Darren has his record deck in his kitchen as well as a home cinema, and we both share a Bucks Fizz connection. Darren also reveals how during lockdown he would declutter his house every weekend and how he took up cycling.

His lab does a review of the year, and we talk about the lack of possibility for closure brought about by the pandemic and what the ‘new normal’ will be. We learn that Darren has also enjoyed returning to the pub.

We find out whether he kept a diary and what are his goals going forward, including making his first TV documentary, Generation Genome. Darren will be taking his teaching to the Middle East, also. We talk about the absence of fact-based decision making, and how the likes of Donald Trump can influence people in ways that cannot be right. 

Darren discusses the different successes of Track and Trace vs. the vaccine, ‘designer babies’, disingenuous politicians, Brexit, whether academics live in their ivory towers, and the role of the university going forward.

Following Covid, we were saved by science – and Darren discusses how it is amazing that the vaccines were rolled out within a year of the virus being discovered, and we talk about the tabloid and social media backlash and what ‘research’ is in this context. Then, at the end of the interview, we discover, once again, that Darren is a forward thinking person.

Please note: Opinions expressed are solely those of Chris Deacy and Darren Griffin and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of the University of Kent.