Elin Gwyn

Elin gained a range of techniques through group work and working independently, she plans to further these skills by doing a PHD or pursuing a career in teaching.

What did you get out of the course?

I chose to come to Edinburgh as I wanted to utilize the theoretical knowledge of biology that I had acquired during my undergraduate degree and apply it in a practical setting and the MSc. Biomedical Science by research course allowed me to do this.

The range of research topics on offer allowed me to explore and understand the different techniques that are commonly used in scientific research - for example, my first project (Mechanisms of Inflammatory Disease; Dr. Mohini Gray) involved a lot of cell culture, immunochemistry and confocal microscopy work; whilst my second project (Genes and Disease; Dr. Sally Till) focused more on behavioural work, as well as involving immunohistochemistry and histology techniques.

I also found that many of the skills and techniques that I had acquired during my first project were directly transferable to the second. I had relatively little practical experience before starting the course but quickly developed a range of techniques through the support of other members of the research groups that I was part of and was quickly able to work independently to develop my own ideas for my projects.

The theoretical aspects of the course allowed me to understand more about the current and ongoing research at the University of Edinburgh, and helped me to appreciate how different ideas develop and eventually lead to successful scientific discoveries.

The course certainly opens your eyes to the fact that biomedical research is a very challenging, yet highly rewarding career path in which to follow and is a fantastic opportunity to understand what a career in scientific research is all about.

What are you doing now?

I am currently taking a year out of studying. I am either hoping to return to scientific research to do a PhD (preferably in a neuroscience-related topic since I particularly enjoyed aspects of this in my second project), or a career in teaching.

I am sure that both of these career pathways will benefit from the experiences and skills that I acquired on the MSc. Biomedical Science by research course.