Laura Hollins
PhD Oncology
Coming to medicine via structural engineering, Laura's career hasn't taken a conventional course. Now a GlaxoSmithKline award winner, Laura has invested in a PhD that she hopes will give her a broad knowledge and skills base, and hopes to make a difference to the lives of cancer sufferers in the future.
Why oncology?
The scientific basis of cancer covers a really broad field so I felt I would be getting a good range of knowledge and skills. And knowing that my work will help cancer patients in the future acts as a great driving force.
Why Manchester?
I first came to Manchester to study structural engineering, but despite loving the university and the city, the course wasn't for me, so inspired by my flatmate's course I changed to pharmacology. I returned to Manchester because I love the university and because I was really impressed with the facilities and the quality of research at the Paterson Institute where my PhD is based.
What have been the highlights of the course so far?
The meetings I've attended have all been really exciting and I've already done three poster presentations at conferences. Although the amount of presentations and reports that I have to write seemed daunting at first, I found that completing them and getting positive feedback has been a real incentive to continue.
I have also been really pleased with the way the course is structured. I'm doing a four-year PhD which meant that my first year was spent rotating around different labs. This meant that the experience I had before starting my main project was really diverse .
Is the School of Medicine a good place to work?
The School has been excellent, giving me the training and support I need to carry out my research. The rest of the staff and students are also really helpful and supportive too, there is always somebody on hand if you need help with techniques.
