My initial interest in human physiology in health and disease led me to gain a BSc degree in Human and Medical Sciences from the University of Westminster in 2016 and then a MSc in Musculoskeletal Science from UCL in 2018. During all those study years, I developed a strong interest in the use of biomaterials and cell culture as research tools, an interest which has become the foundation of my PhD project.
My research focuses on developing and characterising biomaterials that can be used as substrates and exploring their potential application in biomedicine. My project entails a close collaboration between UCL Eastman and the Institute of Pharmaceutical Science at King’s College London.
Biomaterial biofunctionality has been heavily investigated in the past decades as a means to provide appropriate mechanical, spatial and/or chemical clues for cells to behave in an intended manner. It is this area which I hope to contribute towards and develop fully translational technologies that can be used to improve human health and wellbeing.
I am funded by the BBSRC via the London Interdisciplinary Doctoral programme (LIDo). Through this doctorate training programme I experienced two rotation projects in different labs and institutions before choosing to stay with the Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering (BTE) team at the UCL Eastman.
The team and expertise on site and the wide variety of physical and mechanical research methodologies and equipment available at Eastman were key in my decision. In addition, through working within the Institute I have discovered that their multicultural environment, high standards of research quality and world-leading researchers backs up their outstanding reputation.
