Medicine’s Master’s Scholarship winners tell us about their research

Master’s Scholarship winners from across the Faculty of Medicine's postgraduate courses presented their research and shared their experiences.

Last week Professor Jonathan Weber, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Imperial, was joined by other academics to celebrate the latest cohort of Dean’s Master’s and Dr Jean Alero Thomas Scholarship winners. The students who are studying a range of postgraduate courses from across Faculty of Medicine were invited to give a three minute whistle stop presentation of their research. Held in the ballroom at 58 Prince’s Gate the esteemed venue provided a suitable setting as we heard from our high-flying students.

“One of my favourite memories was using the da Vinci robot during our Interventional Technology module. It was something I had read about previously and finally got a chance to use it!” Emma Fossett MSc Surgical Innovation

Every year, scholarships are available to home and overseas students who apply for a Master's programme with the Faculty of Medicine at Imperial. Scholarships are awarded to applicants who are seen by the panel to have the greatest potential to be leaders in their chosen field – the science superstars of the future. The scholarships are primarily funded by the Revolutions in Biomedicine Summer School run by the Postgraduate Education Team in the Faculty of Medicine.

Congratulations to all our prize winners this year, with extra recognition going to Emma Fossett (MSc Surgical Innovation) who was awarded the Best Three Minute Thesis Prize and Ciara Hamilton (MSc Epidemiology) who won the audience vote for her Three Minute Thesis on the day.

We asked the scholarship winners a few questions about their time so far at Imperial.

What’s your favourite memory of your Master’s?

Kazuki Iio (MSc Applied Paediatrics) “Every moment was memorable for me. If I need to pick one, I would choose the Law and Ethics module; the module taught me the cultural differences in the approach towards the ethical dilemmas encountered in paediatric medicine.”

Yiping Li (MRes Medical Robotics and Image-Guided Intervention) “The opportunity to meet outstanding people. Interacting with motivated individuals from diverse backgrounds fuelled my own motivation and passion for learning.”

Lubaina Cementwala (MPH Master of Public Health) “Joining the Caving Club. I think that Imperial offers many opportunities to get involved beyond the classroom and I love that there's so much to do.”

Babintou Thiam (MSc Genomic Medicine) “Definitely the journal club sessions. The sessions have been highly beneficial as they enhanced my critical appraisal skills and allowed me to engage in scholarly discussions.” 

Rhiannon Cummings (MSc Translational Neuroscience) “One of my favourite memories at Imperial took place earlier this year; my first lab meeting with the Nativio group in the UK Dementia Research Institute (UKDRI). For the first time in my academic career, I found myself in a lab meeting comprised of 8 female scientists with a female group leader. I was in awe listening to these incredible scientists discuss their research; this moment filled me with immense pride and gave me a glimpse into a future without sexism in STEM.”

Emma Fossett (MSc Surgical Innovation) “One of my favourite memories was using the da Vinci robot during our Interventional Technology module. It was something I had read about previously and finally got a chance to use it!” 

Maryn Brown (MSc Molecular medicine) “Probably participating in lab group meetings as part of my research project! It sounds a bit boring, but it's wonderful to try and solve problems with other people who are as interested and excited as you are.”

Dhruva Tangellamudi (MRes Biomedical Research) “Presenting my research at the end of term MRes poster presentations. It was very fulfilling to be able to present my results after months of hard work, while engaging with my fellow students and see the variety of research done by everyone.” 

Ciara Hamilton (MSc Epidemiology) – “My favourite memory of my course was working with and making friends with lots of people from such a diverse range of academic backgrounds.” 

Xinxin Li (MRes Medical Robotics and Image-Guided Intervention) “My first visit to the Imperial campus!”

What would you like to have achieved in 10 years’ time?

Dhruva “I would like to start a company that works to create AI models that are specialized to be integrated into clinical practice allowing for greater efficiency and higher quality care in in hospitals and clinics around the world.”

Babintou “I am looking forward to working closely with clinicians in order to apply genomic medicine in healthcare settings. This could involve integrating genomic information into patient care, making diagnoses and treatment decisions based on genetic data, and contributing to personalised medicine approaches.” 

Maryn “I hope to have completed a PhD in infection (my interests are still very broad!) and to still be working in a lab in some capacity. Labs are my favourite place to be - science is so creative”.

Lubaina “I would like to develop a reputation as a public health expert, especially in India and the UK. I want to contribute to projects and programs that can affect health policy and have a long-lasting impact.”

Xinxin “Be a great researcher in the area of robots!”

Emma “To be a qualified Trauma and Orthopaedic Consultant. I’d like to have actively participated in more orthopaedic conferences, presenting and publishing my work. I’d also like to have affiliations to a medical school continuing my passion for surgical education.”

Rhiannon “Earlier this year, I was accepted onto the MRC Doctoral Training Partnership programme to study my PhD. My project will focus on mitochondrial dysfunction in Alzheimer’s disease, particularly its underlying genetic component. Following the completion of my PhD, I aim to begin researching neurodegenerative disease genetics. I thoroughly enjoy taking on mentoring roles and would love to continue doing so over the next 10 years, including supervising students’ projects myself one day.” 

Kazuki “Become an academic physician and present evidence that helps children worldwide, especially in paediatric emergency medicine.”

Yiping “Firstly, I aspire to complete a PhD. Beyond that, I am considering a career either in academia, where I can continue to pursue knowledge and inspire others, or in a medtech company, where I can apply my expertise to develop innovative solutions.” 

Ciara “In 10 years time I would like to be working on my own academic research and hopefully have completed a PhD.”

Congratulations again to all this year's scholarship winners (see full list in sidebar).

View funding available for postgraduate study in Medicine