Alice Leavey - Postdoctoral Research Fellow, CDB (to Jun 2025)

How did you arrive at CDB?   

When I was a kid, I wanted to be a vet but then I totally flunked AS level chemistry. It was a bit devastating at the time and made me rethink my choices.  In the end, I decided to do something around biology – a subject I loved.   So I read zoology at Nottingham University, where I was drawn to modules about evolution, conservation and ecology, rather than cancer biology, cell biology, etc. 

Then I got onto the London Interdisciplinary Doctoral training programme (LIDo), with supervisors Laura Porro in the UCL Centre for Integrative Anatomy [part of CDB] and Dr Christopher Richards at the Royal Veterinary College.  My PhD used the digital dissection methods that Laura is so well versed in, combined with Chris’s biomechanical modelling expertise. 

After a 6-month break while university teaching, I’m now doing post-doctoral research with Laura, looking at the evolution of reptile skull shape.

What would you advise someone on choosing a career?

No-one really talks about how precarious the position of an early career researcher actually is. It's almost impossible to go to a truly great university near where you live that has the perfect job opportunity! So my advice would be to take advantage of the extra activities and training opportunities available to make yourself stand out from the crowd, and set notifications for job opportunities up earlier than you think!

The LIDo programme I was on was really supportive, so I think that being part of a cohort of others,  and having training courses automatically provided, together with guidance and direction from more experienced researchers, are absolutely essential. 

Another thing is knowing when to try a new strategy: it’s good to persevere, but there comes a point at which you have to say, ‘actually, this isn't working, so let's put our energy into something else’. 

What are you mainly focused on now and for the future? 

I've always had a strong pedagogical focus; during my PhD, I put many hours into teaching. I gained Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) status and would like to achieve senior fellow status.  I definitely want to lecture, ideally in evolution, and maybe teach statistics, because no one likes teaching statistics!  

On the research side, I’m starting to think about a project around digital models and VR to help with teaching veterinary anatomy, like is often done with human anatomy. 

What do you do now to chill and get work-life balance?

Eat sushi, make stained glass,  and, when possible, go to the gym (heavy lifting, plyometrics, functional training), and play netball!

Would you recommend joining UCL CDB?

Yes, I’ve enjoyed my time here – met a lot of interesting and helpful people, and learned a lot from them and the research I’ve done. I have also appreciated being one of CDB’s post-doctoral representatives – I've sat on the CDB Executive Committee, Junior Promotions Board, and helped to arrange the CDB/NPP research seminars given by post-docs.