Student Profiles

After getting a degree in Computer Science, I wanted to work in a field where I can apply my computational knowledge to link different areas of science. This interest leads me to pursue a PhD in Systems Biology. While searching for a potential institution in which to study, the Manchester Interdisciplinary Biocentre (MIB) was clearly most suited to my goals as it was established with the purpose of linking different areas of science together.

I was admitted onto a four year PhD programme for the study of Systems Biology in the Doctoral Training Centre at the MIB. In the first year of this programme, students are given training in different subjects such as Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Mathematics and Systems Biology. This is a good opportunity for students coming from one subject to understand and learn other experimental and analytical techniques that will be required in the course of their PhD. In addition, we have the opportunity to work for three months on short projects in different laboratories to help us decide the working environment that suits us best. All together, first year training was very constructive and helped me to develop a good base for my PhD. Now I am working on yeast mRNA translation factors and studying their distribution and dynamics together with flux balance analysis.

The University of Manchester is a great institution situated in the heart of city of Manchester with easy access to all amenities. For those interested in interdisciplinary subjects, I think the MIB is an ideal place to be. The MIB provides all the facilities and expertise to work across a range of complementary subjects and I definitely feel privileged to work in such an environment.