I did an undergraduate in Biology at UCL, graduating in 2004 before working for the Environmental Justice Fund as a researcher/campaigner. I also did a masters at Imperial College in Science Communication. This was training for those with a science degree working in journalism, museums or TV. I did freelance science journalism, and spent six months at a political centre doing public communications. Then I went to the Science Museum for three years curating contemporary science events.

Design Interactions is about using the medium of design to explore science and technology, often projecting into the future. It might be looking at nanotechnology or genetics, and is a way of exploring what would be palatable or ethical, or the political implications.

I got fed up of working in mainstream science journalism. I was interested in curating and exploring but frustrated with the range of ways I could do that. For instance, if I were putting on an exhibition, I would have to be uncritical, and would not be allowed to be playful or provocative. You’re not allowed to explore the personal – it’s more about the technical.

I’d been to some of the graduate shows but didn’t know if someone from my background would fit in. The tutors had taken in students with a science background before but were concerned about turning those ideas into something visual. I was allowed a year to put a portfolio together. Anything that could be represented visually – drawing, photography – I was able to include. And, way back before my biology degree, I did an art foundation. I’m also involved with a "guerrilla science" organisation that runs events at music festivals. This had enabled me to try out things I couldn’t at the Science Museum.

A lot of Design Interactions students work outside of what they can’t do through skills swapping. Not everyone can do the technical things or computer programming.

My research topic reflects my background. I’ve got a year to develop my research and a final exhibition. I’m interested in what can happen when fictional artefacts are taken into museums of science, and where audiences expect unambiguous fact and objectivity. What happens when you start visualising the future, and what effect does it have on the future? At the moment, I’m looking at using the museum as a medium in itself as a space to explore these questions.

I’ve been lucky to get the College bursary for two years and saved up enough money to pay my rent for the duration of the course. I work for the remaining time and I live frugally. Loads of students do work in the summer that reflects their backgrounds. A few people do paid internships.

Although being at the RCA is an unusual step and involved giving up a job, I knew it would be interesting and full of possibilities for new things. 

I came from Israel, where I had a book design practice. One of the curators at the Israel Museum kept saying I should look at the Design Interactions programme at the Royal College of Art. The RCA is the only place to do those things. In Israel no one could begin to understand things being discussed here. With iPads and iPhones, you question what is a book and why we need it at all.

The first year was really hard in transforming my state of mind from rules to understanding I can do whatever I want. I ended up exploring synthetic biology, a branch of biology that deals with computer-manufactured proteins. It starts with that, but you soon realise it has a much bigger impact. The slightest thing we do on a computer can have such huge impact.

I collaborated with Imperial College and created a mouse with Elvis’ traits. The concept questions how we put our beliefs into science. You can buy DNA from the internet and have it sent to a lab. After copying the ‘genes’, I tried to recreate Elvis’ biography and the impact of the death of his mother. The concept addresses whether people would design pets to have the traits of those celebrities they adore.

I decided to end my MA with making things instead of just designing on a computer and sending to print. I made a sculptural piece based on real scientific models.

The first year of doing an MA is jumping into a deep pool. You go through five different subjects, understanding the relationship between science and technology and you get pulled in many directions. It’s so intense.

When you find the connection between all of those things, you have a sense of how to develop. For some students it’s extending what they already are interested in. It’s new for everyone – you have to do something in a new area, pushing you to the edge of what you know.  It’s about not just doing the practice but thinking about the practice. It's critical design. The aim is to justify design and what it’s good for.

I’ve used all my life savings and sold my studio in Israel to fund my studies. My wife has helped too. I do some weekend work and have continued to take on books and catalogues from Israel. The summer is also a great opportunity to work. There are also a lot of competitions you can enter. You need a lot of energy to fund yourself, to be creative and find the opportunities to fund yourself.

Forget about everything you know and embrace what comes. Push yourself – you don’t have to accept everything that is.