I began this course after working for 2 years post graduation as a Research Assistant and Laboratory Manager in the same research group I am currently a PhD student in. I began this course as I wanted to expand my career potential and remove the perceived glass ceiling caused by not having a PhD. This said, I would strongly recommend working as a research assistant or laboratory manager before doing a PhD as the skills I obtained in this role have made me much more successful - both in terms of research output and also obtaining highly competitive funding.

I am also involved in teaching various parts of the undergraduate Natural Sciences courses - including practical labs and honours projects.

MBiolSci Genetics - University of Sheffield (2016)
Research Assistant/Laboratory Manager. Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge (2016-2018)
PhD Student, (funded by Cambridge Trust & Trinity Hall), Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge (2018-Present). Expected graduation 2021.

Achieved Member status (MRSB) of the Royal Society of Biology (2018).

I would like to continue within the academic research environment and also continue to be involved in teaching within the university. I am currently working towards two further accreditation: Chartered Biologist (CBiol) status from the Royal Society of Biology and membership at Fellow level of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) . Chartered status of the RSB is a hallmark of experience and quality within science whereas FHEA status reflects quality in education and lesson delivery within the higher education sector.

I am also open to the possibility of working within the scientific private sector within research and development due to the unpredictability and insecurity of funding within UK higher education.

I would strongly advise students to work as a research assistant or in a laboratory for at least a year prior to applying for PhD programmes. These programmes are exceptionally competitive and successful candidates are rarely recent graduates with no experience.

Further experience is also beneficial as PhD programmes are hard work and require a lot of dedication - working allows you to really understand the scientific field before committing to study for 3-4 years. Finally, the additional time in research is a huge bonus in terms of techniques and equipment you will learn to use prior to starting your PhD study