Case studies: PhD student: Stephen Price

Stephen has a BSc(Hons) Zoology from The University of Nottingham and is a PhD student investigating the spread of a frog disease.

I originally went to school in Walsall where I gained A-levels in maths, physics, chemistry, French and general studies before spending a year teaching English in Pakistan. I didn’t actually start my degree course until six years after leaving school, having studied for biology A-level in my spare time via Open Learning in order to meet the entry requirements for a BSc(Hons) Zoology.

I was accepted to study zoology at The University of Nottingham , which was a great choice for me on a number of levels. The course composition was great with a broad range of modules on offer, which allowed me to come up with a blend of genetics and ecology-based courses that suited me and which I feel developed a set of skills and expertise over the entire course programme. The tutor system was also really effective and I developed a strong relationship with my tutor and project supervisor over the three years, which also gave me the opportunity to carry out some extensive overseas field work. Finally, the campus itself provided a great setting and some excellent facilities, whilst the city was affordable and the right size to be accessible but diverse.

As well as undertaking the field work mentioned above, I completed a two-month work experience placement in another of the university’s labs, acquiring some really useful lab experience and techniques and getting a taste for life in a research laboratory.

I am currently a PhD student investigating the spread of a frog disease, and my zoology degree was fundamental in me getting this position. The work I did for my final year degree project really paved the way for the kind of questions that I’m investigating now and I’m sure the skills acquired during my work experience placement helped frame me as a suitable candidate.

My current work is really varied with office, lab and field-based elements combining. I also work across two research institutions with different organisational structures, team expertise and atmospheres as well as collaborating with a conservation charity. There really is no typical day (which I love) and my range of activities and interactions is broad. Managing the scope of such a varied project is both exciting and challenging. I guess the degree of self-reliance needed to continually drive the project forward is the most difficult facet, but, at the same time, it’s that sense of self-determination and control that I find most satisfying about my work.

The best thing about working in research and education is the continual and diverse opportunities for personal development and training. For anyone interested in studying biological sciences at undergraduate or postgraduate level, the advice I’d offer would be to get involved in the research-side of a university as early as possible because it’s probably quite easy to sit in a classroom or library whilst the cutting-edge research goes on behind the scenes.

AGCAS

Sourced by AGCAS editors

Date: 

April 2011

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