Case studies: Researcher/associate lecturer in haematology: Jenni May

Jenni graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Biomedical Science from the University of the West of England (UWE) in 2007. She worked as a biomedical scientist in a routine haematology and transfusion laboratory within the NHS, before deciding to return to academia. She completed a PhD in 2010.

I work as a part-time researcher and part-time associate lecturer at UWE, and have worked on several different research projects since completing my PhD. My PhD involved investigating chemotherapy-induced damage to bone marrow in patients who were undergoing treatment for haematological malignancies.

Currently, I am involved in a study evaluating a new bioluminescent bacterial biosensor to determine sensitivity of patients with acute myeloid leukaemia to cytarabine chemotherapy. This rapid test may enable prediction of patient response to cytarabine chemotherapy, allowing the most effective therapy to be used.

My chosen subject of study, particularly my undergraduate dissertation area, was extremely relevant in securing my PhD studentship, as was the decision to gain some experience within a clinical haematology lab during a sandwich placement and following graduation.

After completing my PhD, it was really tough to find research-based work, due to large cuts in research funding. However, making the right contacts is particularly important and this has enabled me to secure several short-term contracts. I also offered to help out with lecturing and have subsequently found that I really enjoy it and have been offered significant quantities, gaining extremely valuable experience. I hope that in the long term this will put me in good stead to continue my career in academia, ideally combining a mixture of teaching and clinically oriented research.

One of the things I enjoy most about my job is the student contact; it can be really satisfying when you manage to get someone to understand something new. I also really enjoy the research aspects though, and whilst it may be frustrating if things don’t work for a while, it is all worth it when you finally get some interesting data.

Besides trying to fit everything in within the day, probably one of the most challenging aspects of the role is the day-to-day unpredictability. Within the current project, we regularly receive blood and marrow samples that need to be rapidly processed, but never know in advance when these may arrive. Consequently, in my current job there is no typical day. On any one day, I may be lecturing to undergraduate students, supervising postgraduate students in the lab, or doing my own research. It does mean that you need to be really flexible and constantly willing to rearrange plans, but it also means it is never boring or repetitive.

One of the best things about working in this sector is the freedom to work largely independently, organising my own time, and being in a position where I may be able to stimulate an interest in others to achieve their aims.

The most important advice I would give to someone who would like to get into this career is to make the most of any opportunity. I try to avoid saying no to anything and have discovered that any experience can be valuable, even if at first glance it doesn’t appear to be.