Dundee Research Interest Group

For the last two years I have been studying Biochemistry at the University of Bath and as part of our course we are strongly encouraged to spend our 3rd year on placement. Having been intrigued by the brain and all its complexities from a young age, exposure to much more hard-core neuroscience at university has really fuelled my desire to pursue this field in the future. For this reason, I was really keen to find a placement within the field of neuroscience and I was lucky enough to be put in contact with Professor Miratul Muqit, of MRC PPU, who kindly offered to take me on for the next academic year as part of his team studying Parkinson’s Disease.

Professor Muqit also introduced me to the Dundee Research Interest Group (DRIG) which was established by Parkinson’s UK to work with research institutions such as the MRC PPU and promote research into Parkinson’s disease.  One of the aims of DRIG is to make the cutting-edge science available and digestible for those directly affected by Parkinson’s Disease. I was very grateful to be invited by DRIG, to share my development, learning and experiences of the next year at MRC PPU and hope I can provide a little insight and excitement about the science emerging from the lab. I aim to keep you up to date with my experience via a ‘blog’, the first of which you can find below.

Becoming a research scientist at MRC PPU, Dundee, by Mollie Rickwood

The 7th of September marked the start of my journey to becoming a ‘proper’ research scientist and I was beyond excited, though I can’t deny there were butterflies in my tummy. There was no need for the nerves however, I was met by my lab ‘buddy’ who took me on a tour of the lab, introduced me to all the staff (all of whom have been very welcoming and supportive) and has generally looked out for me since then.

My first week comprised of asking a lot questions, observing my ‘buddy’ at work and learning more about life in a working lab than 2 years at university could have ever taught me. By the end of week one I was exhausted and my brain was spilling over with new knowledge.

This week it was time for me to don the lab coat and get really stuck in. With the supervision and assistance of my buddy and lots of other members of the lab I have been able to complete several of my own experiments this week and obtain good results. Being so hands on has really helped me to digest and apply the learning from week 1 and I feel I have made real progression in my understanding of the pathogenic pathways we are studying.

Whilst the lab coat, the googles and the purple gloves do make me look and feel like a ‘proper’ scientist, I still have much to learn. One of the major things I have taken away from my first two weeks is that a life in science means I will always be learning, always exploring new concepts, and most excitingly, asking questions that no one has asked before. I am loving being part of this community on the cutting edge of research and am so excited to immerse myself in such exciting science over the next year.