Meet our Master's students
Catherine Whittle - MRes Experimental Neuroscience
What did you most enjoy about your course?
I most enjoyed having the opportunity to undertake three different laboratory projects (something that very few MRes courses offer), and thereby gain hands-on experience in varied disciplines and techniques across basic and translational neuroscience. I especially enjoyed my first project working on olfactory perception in sleeping flies and will be continuing to work with Drosophila for my PhD.
What did you most appreciate about Imperial College London?
I most appreciated the passion and dedication of the faculty members, post-docs, research assistants and PhD students who supported me during my research projects. I would particularly like to extend my sincere gratitude to Dr Giorgio Gilestro and Dr André Brown for their invaluable mentorship, which has significantly contributed to my growth as a scientist.
How did it feel to receive the Dean's Prize?
It felt lovely to see my hard work this past year be recognised!
What are you doing now or what do you plan on doing after graduation?
I have recently started a PhD at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, University of Cambridge (Jefferis Lab). My work investigates neural circuitry in the vinegar fly Drosophila melanogaster.
Yuqian Ye - MRes Experimental Neuroscience
What did you most enjoy about your course?
What I enjoy the most about my course was that we get to undertake three research projects to try out different fields of neuroscience research. I have found my passion for computational neurogenetics research through these projects.
What did you most appreciate about the Faculty/College?
The College has great computational resources including a powerful central HPC (High Performance Computing) that supports bioinformatics work.
How did it feel to receive the Dean's Prize?
I was genuinely surprised because there were many talented students in my course who were passionate about neuroscience research. I am grateful for having studied among them and receiving the prize was the icing on the cake.
What are you doing now or what do you plan on doing after graduation?
I am now a research technician in the Neurogenomics lab in the Department of Brain Sciences, where I completed two of my MRes projects. I am applying for PhD positions in the interdisciplinary field of neuroscience, genomics, and computational biology.
Richard Carr - MSc Translational Neuroscience
What did you most enjoy about your course?
I thought the independence and freedom to focus on your own interests was great. Assignments gave you enough scope to tailor projects to what you're passionate about, while the guidelines encourage you to look at those interests from new perspectives. The course covered a lot of different areas in a short time, which means that although the work is often intense, by the end of the Programme you find that even if you started with a very specific interest in mind, you start to see how this can be approached from many different directions, each one giving its own insights. As a result, I left the course with a real appreciation for the scope and ambition of neuroscience as a discipline.
What did you most appreciate about Imperial College London?
I felt that the College appreciated what skills are important to develop in a scientist. Rather than focusing on rote learning, assessments covered lots of different skills that are needed in academia - e.g., presentation skills, critical analysis of papers, hypothesis generation. As such, you leave the course with confidence and a skillset that is really well-adjusted to a research career.
How did it feel to receive the Dean's Prize?
It was a great surprise! We had many talented individuals on the course who are really passionate about the work they do. I felt really honoured to receive the prize given the strong competition.
What are you doing now or what do you plan on doing after graduation?
I am now working as a clinical research fellow at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience with Professor Oliver Howes. The team's work revolves around molecular psychiatry in schizophrenia and other psychoses, with a focus on neuroimaging and psychopharmacology. Next year I hope to start a PhD with the group looking at cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia and its relation to synaptic dysfunction.
Is there anything you would recommend to students starting out on the course?
My advice for new students is that the most important thing in research is genuine interest and curiosity. It pays off hugely to make a real effort to find an area that you are willing to dedicate your time and attention to.