Role: First year PhD student in the Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London
Subject area: Clinical Medicine Research/Translational Cancer Biology
Nationality: Australia, though I've had a pretty international upbringing having lived in Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and now London!
Before starting my PhD in Clinical Research, I was a BSc Medical Biosciences student at Imperial. Aside from my research, I'm part of the Outreach team as an Outreach STEM Mentor and Leader.
Education
GCSE (or equivalent): Biology, Chemistry, Maths, Economics, History, English Literature, Music, Art
A-level (or equivalent): Biology, Chemistry, Economics
Degrees
• BSc Medical Biosciences, Imperial College London
• PhD Clinical Medicine Research/Translational Cancer Biology (on-going), Imperial College London
Detail about Madina
My research
My research is focused on identifying chemical compounds in exhaled breath that are characteristic of digestive tract cancers. This would help design a new non-invasive screening test for early cancer diagnosis.
My inspiration
Seeing how family and friends benefited from new treatments inspired me to join research and hopefully make discoveries that will benefit cancer patients.
Who is your STEM hero?
Edward Jenner, British physician and scientist. He laid the scientific basis of vaccine immunology in the late 1790s that would have vast applications in the decades to come.
Most significant discovery/invention?
Water sanitation/purification. It is always ideal to prevent rather than treat diseases. Water sanitation provides clean, germ-free drinking water to many who would have otherwise risk life-long incurable diseases.
Career options after study
- Research in academia
- R&D in the pharmaceuticals industry
- Science communication and publishing
My hobbies
Baking, kayaking, mountaineering/hiking, travelling.
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