I was at Queen’s between 2007-2013, and I look back on my time at the school with such fond memories. I especially loved my Year 9 Latin trip to Pompeii and the annual Year 13 ‘muck up day’. Importantly for my future, it was whilst at Queen’s that my love for biology blossomed, with a special thanks to Mrs Dillamore who instilled a lot of confidence in me during my GCSEs and A-levels, and insisted that I would be a great scientist. Spoilers! It turned out that she was right.
Firstly, I completed an undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences at the University of Leicester. I then completed two research Master’s (MRes) degrees at the University of Liverpool in clinical sciences and musculoskeletal ageing. Finally, I loved these so much that I undertook a PhD focusing on the interaction between the body clock and antioxidant system! I graduated in July 2023, and think I have finally earned the title of a woman in STEM!
I am now lucky enough to be working on an amazing research project as a Post-Doc at the University of Liverpool, called the MicroAge II project. It involves growing human muscle which will be sent up to the International Space Station from NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre to use micro-gravity as a model of premature human muscle ageing.
As I reflect on my career since I left Queen’s, I can appreciate all the School did for me. As a first-generation graduate, Queen’s and its staff gave me the confidence and self-belief that anything was possible. For that, I am truly grateful.