Every year we welcome undergraduate and masters’ students with a variety of backgrounds to undertake a research project in our lab.

What was your project about and what did it involve?

I was characterising the structure of kinetoplast DNA (a large network of interconnected DNA minicircles using atomic force microscopy and novel image analysis procedures. The project therefore had an even split of lab time, working on the Bruker Icon AFM, and programming, which built upon the TopoStats software.

What did you learn from your time in the lab?

I learnt a whole range of skills, both within the lab (I had never even used a pipette before!), to the computational programming side. As a materials science undergrad, these skills allowed me to transition into a more biological-chemical space. Alice also gave great feedback on my written/presented work which was very valuable.

What was the highlight/the best part about your time in the lab?

I particularly enjoyed using the AFM itself! While frustrating at times, when I finally saw new images appearing on the screen it was very satisfying. Generally, the lab was also a fun and supportive environment, with everyone willing to help out when needed :)

What are you doing now/any future plans?

I’m now a PhD student at Imperial College London, working on automated high-throughput microfluidic systems for the development of novel lipid nanoparticles and artificial cells. This work is in collaboration with AstraZeneca UK, aiming to transfect typically “difficult to transfect cells” within their pipeline. Supervised by Dr Yuval Elani, Prof Dame Molly Stevens and Dr Nick Brooks.

Good luck Bradley!