What were you doing before joining the Centre?
Before joining the centre, I completed my MSc in Molecular Genetics and Diagnostics at the University of Nottingham, where I also undertook my bachelors in Genetics.

Why did you choose the Centre and how did involvement with the Centre contribute to your project?
I researched the epigenetic mechanisms underlying aging in neurodegenerative pathology during my master’s and became excited about characterising the links between these mechanisms to environmental exposures. This lead me to the exceptional epidemiological research that was being conducted at the centre in air pollution, a huge risk factor for age related disease that affects everyone worldwide and the project offered me the chance to follow my passion by working with epigenetic clocks to assess the impacts of the environment on accelerated ageing.

What do you enjoy most about your day to day work and the people you work with?
I enjoy collaborating with passionate colleagues who share a common goal of advancing scientific knowledge and improving public health. In addition to that I really admire the nurturing environment created by the people that I work with, who have that teamwork ethos which I think maximises the quality of work that is being produced here.

What are your plans after graduating?
After graduating, my plans involve continuing to conduct further research investigating the interplay between epigenetics and environmental factors, which I hope will be applied to help develop novel strategies for mitigating the adverse effects of a environmental insults on ageing. This will allow us to better prolong our lifespan and delay age-related symptoms of disease.

What opportunities have you benefitted from outside your PhD?
Outside my PhD, I have had the opportunity to attend conferences and public engagement events, where I’ve met a variety of people, who share not only interests in my project but also outside of my project. People tend to like my blog at www.genenurture.com, where I am hoping to post not just my future research but collated research of other scientists that focuses on preventing disease instead of curing it by ‘nurturing our genome’.

Do you have any tips for future MRC Centre Studentship applicants?
My tips would be to emphasize your passion for scientific inquiry and showcase your ability to work well in a team. Make people understand your passion, and help them see what you see, it won’t be hard because people here are all working towards the same thing so you will find people who will be really interested in what you do and vice versa and this makes all the difference when it comes to working in a stimulating environment.