Bethany

Job Title: Medical Genetics - Phd student

Qualifications:

Medical Genetics with a Year in Industry BSc

Profile

After leaving in 2019, I went to study Medical Genetics BSc at the University of Leicester. During this, I undertook a year in industry at GSK working as an associate scientist in the Cell and Gene Therapy department.
After completing my degree, I enrolled in a doctoral training programme (DTP) to work towards my PhD. This is called the Midlands Integrative Biosciences Training Programme (MIBTP) which is funded my the BBSRC. My PhD project uses structural biology for cancer research. I am currently working towards this, and will (hopefully!) attain my PhD by Sept 2027.

BSc
My degree in Medical Genetics is essentially a tailored Biological Sciences degree, whereby in my first year I undertook modules from all specialties (Genetics, Biochemistry, Physiology, Pharmacology, Neuroscience and Microbiology). In my second year, I had multiple core modules which were all Genetics / Medical Genetics based, as well as multiple optional modules, in which I opted for mostly Biochemistry-based modules as these were the most interesting and relevant to me and my degree. There are practical laboratory as well as dry laboratory (data analysis/programming) elements in both first and second year.

My third year involved a year in industry at GSK, where I worked in the Cell and Gene Therapy department. This job was wet lab based, conducting research regarding the production of cell and gene therapies. I completed a year long research project on the use of a process analytical technology to measure the growth, viability and condition of cells which were used to produce these therapies. This involved a written thesis as well as a poster presentation at the GSK wide poster symposium. Additionally, I was able to attain an Industrial Cadets Platinum Award during this year by conducting/taking part in a lot of science communication and school outreach activities, promoting STEM.
The final year of my BSc involved a wet lab research project as well as multiple taught modules. My research project focused on assessing key gene expression changes in breast cancer cells which are resistant to hormone therapies. This is where I found my real passion and interest in cancer, and the molecular/structural biology of the disease.

PhD
I am currently undertaking my PhD in the MIBTP, which is a PhD programme run across a consortium of universities in the Midlands (Uni of Leicester, Warwick, Birmingham, Aston and Harper Adams).
The MIBTP is the second largest and well-funded doctoral training programme in the UK, whereby its unique selling point is the quantitative skills training. The quantitative skills training is an intensive 3 month course focusing on programming and coding skills (and how these are applied in biology), advanced statistics, data science, epidemiological modelling and the processing and analysis of RNA sequencing data. The programme also offers training in science communication, as well as multiple bespoke workshops, predominantly focusing on various laboratory techniques. In the first year of this programme, we undertake two three-month long mini projects, which can be either wet or dry or a mixture of both, as well as a 3 month industrial placement in a non-lab environment. My PhD project is focused on a particular protein which is commonly upregulated in many types of cancer and has roles in immune evasion (this is how cancer is able to evade our own immune system and continue to thrive/grow).

Advice to students

Try to enjoy every step on the journey to your chosen destination... Because once you're there, you'll have set an entirely new destination to reach.
In other words, it's super important to make a plan to reach your goals, but don't let the ultimate goal stop you from enjoying everything in between!
And it is more than okay to change your mind if something is no longer right for you!

Additional Resources

A Career in Genetics