Student Profiles

Having always wanted to pursue a career in research science, in particular cancer research, I decided to study for a BSc in medical science at the University of Birmingham. Upon finishing my degree and really enjoying my final year project at Birmingham I really wanted to find a PhD project that would bring together analytical science and the quest for curing cancer!

With this experience I decided to focus on developing my analytical skills within the field of mass spectrometry so that I would be suitably skilled to apply these skills to deciphering the workings of cellular systems. After searching for PhD projects I found that Professor Simon Gaskell (director of the Michael Barber centre for mass spectrometry) was looking for a student. The project looked very exciting and would enable me to develop mass spectrometric methods to probe into the cell and identify the quantities of different proteins and their modifications. With the laboratory and the University of Manchester being of extremely high calibre within the field of mass spectrometry it was the ideal opportunity. The use of mass spectrometric techniques to delve into the workings of the cell is one of the most sensitive techniques available and developing this method further to enable increased sensitivity and specificity I feel is an exciting task.

Almost three years into my PhD I am still hugely excited by the project and enjoy working in the interdisciplinary environment that the MIB provides. I feel that I have answered many of the questions that I set out to and have had a lot of fun along the way. I have no doubt that my time at the University of Manchester and at the MIB has taught me many skills which I will take with me throughout my career in research science.