My journey in science has been exciting. Since, the first day that I had Biology and Chemistry in high school, a great interest ignited inside me and I realised that I will follow my love for these subjects. And this is what I did! After studying for my Bachelors degree in Medical Genetics I continued my studies by doing a Masters degree in Molecular & Cellular Biology. "What will I do after I finish my Master degree?" was the main question I had in my mind and I did not have any answer.
It was during this time that my supervisors spotted my love for sciences and lab work and they encouraged me to apply for PhD scholarships. Initially, I must admit that I was quite sceptical and quite unsure. "Am I good enough for it?" "Will I get accepted to any programs?" etc... However, I took the courage and overcame all the fears, questions and "what ifs" and started researching unis and interesting programs and applying to them. Applications, interviews, acceptances but also refusals. Everything is part of the process and you should not feel discouraged. Both the acceptances and refusals are very important and they give us more experience (and wisdom, if I can say so...), realising this was a game changer for me 😉.
I got very interested in Brunel because it provides great support to Doctoral Researchers and helps them to improve both their lab skills but also their interpersonal skills, which are very much appreciated by employers! I was very lucky to get a fully- funded program at Brunel, carrying out research that I am very interested in and having a great supervisor! ✨
In less than a month I am going to be a second year PhD student! Wow! It feels like yesterday since the first day of my PhD!
With all the ups and downs that this challenging program involves, I can certainly say that I have become more resilient, flexible and quite confident.
Doing a PhD is quite different when compared to both the BSc and Master programs and one of the main reasons is that it is mainly focused on carrying out research and discovering novel things rather than memorising the existing knowledge. Doing a PhD is like solving a tricky puzzle and at the same time realising that there is a new interesting puzzle that waits to be solved! It is a very exciting journey for certain and involves both ups and downs. It is during these times though, that perseverance and believing in yourself is crucial!
So, if you want to do a PhD, go for it!