MRC National Institute for Medical Research, London
Science for Health
PhD student experiences
24 July 2012
The training of students, of all levels, is integral to NIMR and through the programmes we offer we strive to train biomedical leaders of the future. Two PhD students share their experiences of research at NIMR.
Christine Tshitenge
I’ve been at NIMR for almost three years as a Marie Curie PhD student. My research
project focuses on characterising the differences in immunopathology in virulent
and avirulent P. chabaudi infection. The ultimate aim is to identify differences in the
host immune responses that correlate with disease outcome. This could hopefully
provide useful information for vaccine development and also more insight into disease
pathogenesis.
I came to do my PhD here for various reasons. Amongst these are that NIMR has some of the top and most referenced labs in the world, national and international collaborations, a culture of learning and carrying out challenging research, the opportunity to be mentored by some of the world’s leading scientists and to interact with them on a daily basis. I could say a mouthful of adjectives to describe my experiences at NIMR, but what I will say is that NIMR has given me an edge in terms of future career aspirations.
Jeff Cloutier
Over the past two years, I have been working with James Turner in the Division of Stem
Cell Biology and Developmental Genetics at NIMR. Before coming here, I undertook
my undergraduate education at Middlebury College, Vermont (USA), where I had my
first taste of meiosis research. After attending a Gordon Conference on Meiosis, where
I learned about James’ interesting research, I was inspired to pursue my PhD research
in the UK. My work in the Turner lab has been focused on understanding the molecular
mechanisms that lead to germ cell loss and infertility in mice.
NIMR is a unique place for research. The tightknit nature of the community encourages frequent interactions, both in the laboratory and in the canteen, corridors and onsite bar. As a PhD student, I have also had the opportunity to present my work at two big international meetings. My PhD training at NIMR has been a stimulating and exciting experience. Over the next two years, I will complete my PhD work at the National Institutes of Health (USA), as part of a collaborative training programme funded by an NIH Marshall Scholarship.
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