Student and graduate stories

I'm a Clinical Scientist for the private sector specialising in genomic medicine. Before this, I was a Clinical Scientist in the NHS, and I specialised in medical genomics, clinical cytogenetics and molecular pathology. The academic rigor of the degree has equipped me with transferable skills in self directed learning, communication and resilience, which for your early careers, are probably some of the most important skills you can have.

After returning from my year in industry, I chose to do a data themed final year research project. This built on my coding skills which had been nurtured by the department since first year. The experience I gained helped me later in interviews after graduating. This passion for data and experience with coding has led me to my role as a Software Engineer at a biotech group.

"I’m a Senior Publishing Editor for the Royal Society research journal 'Royal Society Open Science'. Without the degree, my job would be much more difficult without the general understanding of how science operates that I gleaned from my time at York. The programme was vital in demonstrating to me that, much as I found the theoretical aspects of biochemistry interesting, I was not a talented lab scientist, and a research career was, therefore, not for me. Sometimes it's learning that you're not good at something that is more important than learning what you are talented in."

"The integrated Masters year was a steep learning curve and forced me to be independent in my experimental design with minimal guidance from lab colleagues. The experience helped me to decide that I wanted to do a PhD after graduation because I love the physical and mental challenge, the lab environment and simply the science itself (answering a big question and constantly being curious)."

"I started my PhD right after finishing a BSc in York - my undergraduate degree has prepared me exceptionally well for this new challenge - I started my PhD with a broad understanding of modern biology - from Molecular to Global Change, Biotechnology, and Statistics."

The Biomedical Science course taught me how to read and write scientific papers which is crucial in my current work as a Medical Device Specialist at a cardiology company.