What is your role in the BTRU?
I am a DPhil Candidate in Medical Sciences - in Ron Chakraverty's group.
What are you trying to achieve with your research?
Our immune system uses different types of cells to fight diseases, including T cells. T cells start out as “naïve” cells – meaning they haven’t yet met a threat. These naïve T cells start off inactive, but when they detect an infection, they switch on and transform into specialised cells. Some become “memory” cells that remember past infections, while others become fast‑acting “effector” cells that destroy infected or cancerous cells. This decision‑making process (called differentiation) is complex, with many factors influencing what naïve T cells become. Understanding how this works is crucial for treating serious illnesses like blood cancer. My research focuses on how naïve T cells’ internal traits, surroundings, and experiences shape their development. By identifying naïve T cells with the greatest therapeutic potential, we aim to design new therapies that harness patients’ own immune systems to tackle disease. This work could lead to better ways to treat serious illnesses like blood cancer - offering new hope for patients and their families.
What does a typical day involve?
My day‑to‑day work varies depending on the experiments I'm running. Some days are spent analysing data and planning new studies. This often involves making sense of complex datasets through coding and recruiting healthy volunteers who kindly donate blood for our research - which might surprise people who think lab work is always hands on. Other days, I read scientific papers to stay up to date with new discoveries. On experimental days, I focus on carrying out the lab work itself.
What’s the most memorable moment you’ve had while working with patients or the public?
One BTRU event really stands out to me. Patients and members of the public were invited into the labs and facilities to see what research looks like first‑hand. While it was a great experience for them, it was equally memorable to me. For the first time, I met and spoke with a patient who had received cellular therapy and is now cancer‑free. That moment stayed with me - it made me realise that our everyday work truly matters and can have a real impact on patients’ lives. On difficult days in the lab, I think back to that experience. It reminds me to stay positive and keep going, knowing that what we do can make a difference far beyond what we see day to day.
What is the hardest part of your job?
Being a scientist involves coming up with ideas - called hypotheses - and testing them through experiments. These hypotheses are informed assumptions and don't always turn out to be correct, which is a normal and important part of the scientific process. However, research environments often place more value on positive results, which can make academic careers particularly demanding. Research work also comes with many other challenges, including technical issues, limited funding, and strong competition within the field, all of which can create ongoing pressure and frustration. At the moment, securing funding is particularly difficult, and many researchers see this as one of the biggest challenges of working in academia.
What do you enjoy outside of work?
I occasionally play sports such as table tennis and badminton, but what I truly enjoy in my free time is watching sports, especially basketball and tennis. Beyond the excitement and intensity of the games, I’m often inspired by the players themselves. Their resilience, determination, and mental strength in high‑pressure moments are fascinating to watch and deeply motivating.
What would your dream job be, if you were not a researcher?
If I wasn't in my current field, I would love to be a detective or special agent working to investigate crimes and bring justice for affected families. Perhaps I’ve watched and read a bit too much Sherlock Holmes, but I find the process of solving crimes fascinating. The careful reasoning, logical deductions, and pursuit of the truth really appeal to me, especially knowing that this work can have a meaningful impact on society.