Elizabeth Young
Having heard about engineered heart valves and striking up interest in medical technology, I chose to do BSc Hons Molecular and Cellular Biology (with Biotechnology) at the University of Glasgow. My degree choice had the aim of learning fundamental basic biology with a translational aspect. A key final year module I chose was tissue engineering, which completely verified my interest in the field. For my final year dissertation, I investigated neural plasticity in response to inflammation, as a cause of mental health. Combined with my interest in tissue engineering, I ultimately chose a PhD in modelling pathology of the spinal cord vasculature. So, here I am!
What attracted you to the Centre for Doctoral Training in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine – Innovation in Medical and Biological Engineering
I really felt I needed a year before I started my PhD to improve my skills, knowledge and confidence: the MSc component of the CDT made me really keen. After research and seeing the institute has such a wide research base and affiliation with industry, I felt it had the appropriate routes I wanted to expand down. In particular, I wanted to learn more engineering and liked the prospect of undertaking placements to do so.
What have you most enjoyed during your time on the CDT Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine – Innovation in Medical and Biological Engineering programme?
I’ve really enjoyed the extensive relationship with business and industry, in terms of learning about the landscape of medical technologies and their commercialisation to market. I definitely hope to work out with academia in the future: getting away from research to learn innovation, clinical trials, regulations and policy has been a really interesting experience for me!
What benefits do you feel you get from the interdisciplinary nature of the course?
I enjoyed being able to dip in and out of different subjects in terms of business, basic engineering, computational work and materials science. For me, these were the areas I really needed to work on. Having all these aspects to combine with my current skillset created a fuller picture of the research field.
How do you hope to extend the experience gained from the course in your future career?
I definitely hope to apply the business knowledge I’ve gained through the CDT in my future career. Hopefully with the variation of modules/placements/personal development I’ve chosen, I’ll be a well-rounded candidate for roles in a sector where biology and engineering are working closer than ever.
What have you found most challenging about the CDT course?
Definitely the workload at times. Dependent on the timing of modules etc, it can get pretty intense. I finally learned time management though…
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-young-217138ab
Twitter: @EDYoung202
Also worth mentioning that activity-wise, I do loads of stuff out with the course! Leeds Uni is so good for social things: currently on committee for hiking and I also do kickboxing and lacrosse – been the best parts of my year!