What inspired you to embark on a career in academic research?
My mum works as a chemotherapy nurse and so, for as long as I can remember, I have always been aware of the unmet need and inequality in treatment outcomes for cancer patients. During my year in industry I really enjoyed having an independent research project, this motivated me to undertake a PhD and pursue an academic research career.
What was your path to join HAIM in Leeds?
I studied Biomedical Sciences at the University of York and I undertook a 12 month placement at Astex Pharmaceuticals as part of this, which was pivotal in my decision to pursue a research career. I started at the University of Leeds in 2020, as part of the Discovery Medicine North (DiMeN) PhD programme within the lab group of Prof Adel Samson. In 2024 I was awarded a Summerhayes Fellowship, to continue part of this research for a further 2 years.
What does your daily role entail?
I primarily work on my fellowship research project, which involves a combination of lab work and desk work. I lead on the planning, carrying out of experiments and analysis of work on this project. I collaborate with others across the university and with external biotech companies, and I get the opportunity to present this work at local and international conferences. Working within a lab group means I benefit from the experience and wisdom of others, whilst also being exposed to a range of techniques and areas of cancer research. I am involved with assessments on the MSc programmes and have enjoyed supervising visiting summer students.
What aspects of your role do you most enjoy?
I really enjoy collaborating with other researchers and bringing together our expertise to answer questions that are of interest to both sides. Additionally, I find public engagement rewarding and have loved being part of Pint of Science and Be Curious events during my time at Leeds; recently I was awarded some funding from the British Society of Immunology to create ‘ImmunoTrumps’, a card game designed for A Level biology students.
What advice would you give to someone starting their career?
Having a passion for science despite knowing that experiments often don’t work out as expected and finding a good lab group are probably the most important things when considering starting an academic research career. Even if you’re not sure of the long-term plan, working in research gives you many transferable skills that you can apply to other careers if you change your mind.
