On the conclusion of the successful DPAG Internship Programme we spoke to Dr Becky Carlyle, one mentor and two of the interns to ask them about their experience.
Departmental Research Lecturer and Group Leader Becky Carlyle:
In discussions with other EDI leads across the university we've recognised that the university as a whole is doing much better at bringing in a diverse undergraduate population, but that we're not seeing these changes reflected in our post graduate students. Our postgraduate programs are super competitive, and spaces tend to go to people who already have substantial research experience, frequently gained from unpaid internships. When we devised the Internship Programme, we wanted to offer paid research opportunities to enable students to build their CVs, and hopefully, increase the diversity of our future post-graduate applicant pool. Students applied for and were competitively interviewed for their place, offering both valuable training for mentors in recruiting and interview experience for trainees.
The funding came from the Alzheimer's Research UK Thames Valley Network, which unites investigators from across the University of Oxford, but also from Oxford Brookes and Reading University. One of the interns was based with Ajantha Abey in the Wade-Martins lab, while the other was based in psychiatry as part of the new Alzheimer's Blood Biomarkers challenge project - a really exciting opportunity (https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2024-04-04-blood-tests-diagnosing-dementia-step-closer).
DPAG Wade-Martins Intern Eden Mellor-Davis was supervised by Ajantha Abey:
As an undergraduate medical student I've had little experience with lab work, so it has been great to learn lab techniques and generally what working in a research lab is like. It was also great to meet PHD students and post docs to see what their day-to-day life looks like and get the opportunity to chat to them about their career path. Although tiring at times with long days of culturing cells, I had great fun doing lab work, especially having the amazing opportunity to work with Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).
Overall, I had a great time working in the lab and learnt a lot of new lab skills and techniques, but it has also helped me gain an insight into what medical research involves, which I haven't had the opportunity to see much of as a majority of those studying medicine will go into clinical practice.
I would definitely recommend an internship to other students as it has been an invaluable experience for me. I have learnt so much whilst also having fun working in the lab. This internship was a great way for me to experience what goes on in academic research and made me think about my own career. Everyone in the lab was very friendly and welcoming, and always willing to help if I had any questions about lab work.
Junaid Chaudhary did his internship in the Department of Psychiatry. He was supervised by Dishaa Sinha and Nishat Tahira, with Ivan Koychev as PI.
The most valuable elements of my internship were working in a small team and being trusted with sensitive data. The small team environment meant I always had a point of contact when I encountered difficulties with a task and both my colleagues were excellent at responding back to me. It also allowed me to ask many questions, not only about tasks but also about research as a whole, which only increased my appreciation for the work that researchers do. Being trusted with sensitive data made me feel respected and trusted by my colleagues, which empowered me to complete my tasks and also gave me the opportunity to gain greater insight into GDPR. I was able to improve my Microsoft Excel proficiency everyday as I was constantly using the shortcuts and knowledge that I had learned.
I would 100% recommend these internships to other participants. It not only allows you to work on key projects and studies taking place in real time but also allows you to develop a range of skills. You constantly have the opportunity to learn on the job and engage with colleagues about their research and the role that they do, which is especially helpful for someone like me who is considering a research assistant role or an assistant psychologist role.
Being able to meet professionals in the industry meant that I was able to also significantly improve my network and reach out to many more people applying for the clinical psychology doctorate, which is something I am interested in doing in future. Therefore, if you are someone interested in any role in psychiatry or psychology, the internship is a great opportunity to help get closer to achieving that goal.’
Nishat Tahira, who mentored Junaid Chaudhary at the Department of Psychiatry:
One of my favourite aspects was being able to teach our intern the skills and knowledge needed to conduct research. They were also very helpful and quickly became a valuable asset to the team.
I’ve developed leadership, teaching, and interview skills through this experience.
I would absolutely recommend these internships to other participants. Not only did we, as mentors, develop our own skills, but we also witnessed the interns significantly grow in terms of skills, knowledge, and confidence. It provided them with the opportunity to ask questions about their future careers, which they found extremely valuable for gaining guidance and insight.
Mentor Ajantha Abey:
I would say my favourite moment was not so much a moment, but being able to see the transition over the couple of months from a student who had never done cell culture and was largely unfamiliar with related molecular biology techniques and therefore quite uncertain to one who was able to confidently and competently run her own experiments and take initiative. A transition from "I have no idea what I'm doing" to "I can do this".
I think a thing I've learned is that it's really hard to learn lab skills by watching alone, it's much more effective to just dive in and start doing things, even if it means making mistakes along the way, experience can be the best teacher. Demonstrating the wrong way to do something and showing your mistakes and that mistakes happen can also be just as important a lesson as showing how to do something perfectly.
The internships have been a really rewarding experience for both mentors and mentees, with everyone enjoying their time and learning valuable skills to prepare them for their future careers. We would encourage other Department members to build funding for these programs into their own grant and program applications. If you’d be interested in participating next year, or would simply like to hear a bit more about our experience, please contact Louise Cotterell or Becky Carlyle.