Syabira Yusoff: How an edible DNA double helix bake helped to win the Great British Bake Off

Syabira Yusoff’s Krokan double helix, Image courtesy of Syabira Yusoff

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Syabira: I started in agricultural science. After the undergraduate, I went to an agronomist company. I did plant evaluation, sweet corn, chillies, you name it. I see they all have a different type of variety. They have different colours. They have different tastes. So it just intrigued me to learn, okay, I know how they look, but I want to know what's happening inside.

Syabira: And I just took the plunge and I applied for a genetics PhD in Leicester University, and that's when my genetics journey started!

Kat: So after Leicester, you've now moved to London and that's where you've been working in a lab. Tell me what you've been doing there.

Syabira: I'm currently working at King's and we are looking at ageing in vascular smooth muscle cells, how our vessels become stiff.

Syabira: And one of those reasons is because the calcification causes the arteries to get smaller and it's hard to pump the blood as usual. And what I'm doing is screen through the targets, looking at the drug discovery to see if there's any drug that could stop or delay the processes, as well as we are exploring, eventually, a biomarker targeting the vascular stiffening in an ageing population.

Kat: So you'd be able to identify the people who are most at risk of this happening, and then also hopefully identify some possible ideas for targets for drugs that could then help with this.

From the lab to the Bake Off bench

Syabira Yusoff is a geneticist at King’s College London, and uses her research skills it improve her baking. Image courtesy of Syabira Yusoff.

Syabira: Yes, it is a very long process involving so many dedicated people along the line, so I'm proud to be one of them and at least a part of it, I have played a role in it.

Kat: I'm a huge fan of the Great British Bake Off, and then all my friends, we were all like, "Oh my God, there's a scientist on the Bake Off! She's a geneticist!"

Kat: It's really nice to see representation of scientists, but not doing just sciencey things as well. So tell me a bit about how you then got into baking.

Syabira: All scientists, we know that writing a thesis is not some easy task to do. It's a very long process. You have a support system around you, but you always feel so lonely.

Syabira: And I was really close with my friends when I was in Malaysia, and the last thing that we ever had together was a red velvet cake, and that's how I started baking! I learned how to bake a sponge.

Syabira: I wanted something that really tasted like home, and since then, I just keep on trying and just keep on researching and learning more cakes.

Kat: So let's talk about the most famous thing on the Bake Off this season. I think everyone would admit that when you brought out this DNA-shaped sculpture made of these incredible biscuits and it stayed up and it just looked absolutely incredible!

Kat: When did you decide to do that? When were you like, "Oh, you know what? I think I could do this, and I think I can pull it off."

Syabira: So you look at the brief of your competition, I look through all of the recipes and it comes to the week nine, which is, I know that is a very crucial week, and the brief was: symbolise what you are and symbolise something that you achieve so far in your life that you are really proud about.

Syabira: And I was thinking, let's go to the basics, the core of what I really have my passion in, which is genetics itself. And what is the most impressive structure that you can look at that symbolises genetics? Double helix. There you go! A 60 centimetre double helix is a very impressive sculpture, and I'm just down for it.

Syabira: There's so much trial and error. The biscuit has to be very balanced. It is very challenging. I feel very stressed to do that, but it's all worth it. I'm just so proud to show the DNA and what is my root and how I got this impressive baking skill as a researcher. Having that research instinct is actually helping my baking, really.

Kat: So what's next for you? Are you continuing to do stuff as a baker? Are you continuing to do stuff as a geneticist?

Syabira: I would like to come out as a baker who is actually established in terms of how I combine the genetics and also the baking altogether. And I can see this platform as a Bake Off contestant, I could really use that popularity to actually push it forward, sharing the knowledge, and communicate science and make science more fun, more interesting.

Kat: I would really love to see Syabira's Science Bakes become a thing. I hope you can make that happen.

Syabira: I really hope so! It is something that I really want to pursue. I really hope I can pull it off.

Kat: Are you planning on doing a book? Because I know a lot of the Bake Off people do books. Are you being approached for that?

Syabira: That is actually my next one to go with because I think I'm going to a book where I introduce Bake Off as a flavour, as a Malaysian flavour, how I twist a lot of bakes.

Syabira: And then hopefully if that book is successful, I can go into the niche where I really want to promote myself in genetics and baking. When people look at me: yes, she's a baker also she's talking about genetics! I want to be that way.

Syabira: And as a woman that does baking as well as being in research, I didn't realise until after Bake Off when you start interacting with people. I try to reply to all the messages on my Instagram like, "Oh hi! I am actually thinking if I should do biology. I see you on Bake Off, it really inspired me. You show that we could do anything!"

Syabira: So I got a lot of messages about that and it really warms your heart. You don't know how much impact you give by just being there and showing yourself. I'm really proud of what I achieved!

Kat: That’s Syabira Yusoff - and if you’re interested to see what she does next, follow her at @Syabira_bakes on Instagram, or @syabirabakes on Twitter.