1+3 Student
I graduated from UCL with an MSci in Biological Sciences in 2015, where my final year research project investigated the role of adult retinal stem cells in regeneration. I then spent three months as a summer research student at Imperial College London investigating the roles of voltage-gated sodium channels in metastatic breast cancer. Keen to gain industry experience, I worked for St John’s Laboratory, a start-up biotechnology company, as Marketing and Business Development Assistant, before starting the MRC DTP at King’s on the 1+3 programme.
What I enjoy most about scientific research is striving to find the most effective treatments for diseases in order to alleviate the suffering of patients that face them, and so I was drawn to the DTP due to the translational focus of the research projects on offer. There is also a wide range of workshops, seminars and opportunities available, providing comprehensive training for the PhD and beyond. I also couldn’t bring myself to leave the excitement of London after living here for the last 5 years!
Since starting, I have gained exposure to a wide breadth of research fields and multidisciplinary techniques through varied rotation projects and workshops. Already, I have been able to connect with a broad network of researchers across different labs at King’s and from other institutions. I have also enjoyed being involved in opportunities at King’s outside of the DTP, including becoming Business Development Director for Innovation Forum.
Rotation Projects:
1. Targeting TAO kinases for breast cancer treatment (Dr Jonathan Morris, Division of Cancer Studies)
2. A method to analyse genetic variation in human induced pluripotent stem cells by modelling gastrulation in vitro (Professor Fiona Watt and Dr Davide Danovi, Centre for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine)
3. Investigating epigenetic variation in drug metabolising (ADME) genes in twins (Dr Mariam Molokhia, Health and Social Care Research, and Dr Jordana Bell, Genetics and Molecular Medicine)