Meet the postgraduate researcher: Greg McNeil

Posted on Friday 8 May 2026

The York Graduate Research School connects more than 2,000 PGRs across all disciplines at York. Here, we spotlight Greg, a 3rd year PhD student in Biological Chemistry. 

We asked Greg what he enjoys most about being a postgraduate researcher, what led him to his PhD subject, and if his research had a theme song, what tune would he pick and why? 

What are you researching?

Bacteria, like the ones that cause many diseases and have led to the rise of antibiotic resistance, are covered in long hair-like strands made of sugar molecules. These sugar-based structures, which we call glycoconjugates, are involved in many important cell processes and are involved in how the bacteria infect hosts and resist antibiotics. My research aims to add a small fluorescent “tag” onto these sugar molecules that make them glow under specific wavelengths of light, allowing us to use lasers and high-power microscopes to image and track these sugars like a GPS system in living cells. We hope this will help improve our understanding of how these structures work and function.

What drew you to this topic?

I have always loved both biology and chemistry and did not want to compromise on finding a PhD that made me only pick one or the other. My research is very interdisciplinary and allows me to learn a great variety of new skills and techniques across various labs and departments at the university. Additionally, antibiotic resistance has become such a global heath crisis, that the importance of developing new ways to study and target bacteria has the potential to help so many people.

What were you doing before?

I completed my BSc (Hons) in Biological Chemistry and Drug Discovery at the university of Dundee and then moved directly to York to start my PhD straight out of undergrad just a few months after graduating… no rest for the wicked! It was a steep learning curve, but I have enjoyed the challenges that postgraduate research presents. My work in Dundee was based on antibiotic resistance and designing new molecules as potential new antibiotics, which gave me an insight into the field before applying for PhDs.

If you weren't doing postgraduate research, what would you be doing instead?

Ever since I was a little kid, I wanted to be a “scientist”, before even really knowing what that meant. So, I have never really aimed to be anything else. Even now that I know science entails more than just mixing colourful liquids together in flasks and crazy explosions, I still enjoy it and want to keep going. But I always loved the idea of being a pilot and getting to travel to new places all over the world.

what's on your work desk?

I always use my retro-themed mechanical keyboard; the satisfying click clack of the keys always helps soothe the mind whilst working. There is the usual stack of lab books, notebooks and to do lists. Besides that, my office is more of a green jungle than workstation, overflowing with a wide variety of office plants to bring the outdoors in when your stuck at the computer screen.

Describe your typical working day

I start my day walking to campus; I find the walk a good chance to wake up in the morning and mentally prepare and plan for my day ahead. I start the morning off with some lab experiments that I set up across many hours/days. This ranges from growing bacteria cells in biology to synthesising cool new molecules in chemistry. My day is usually scattered with the odd seminar series, research group meeting or such. Following a quick bite to eat in Derwent café or Cookies, I'll often be found spending my afternoons and evenings on the microscopes in biology.

What do you enjoy most about being a postgraduate researcher?

I really enjoy the independence of working on my own project and being able to work to my own schedule. I like not being bound by having to clock in and out and being able to adjust my days to fit around my own lifestyle. I can come in early and leave early, or come in late and stay late, allowing me to work when is best for me.

What do you wish you'd known before you started?

I wish I had known that failure was not only okay, but incredibly common. Even what you may think is a “bad” result can lead you down a path to something even more interesting. It is easy to get hyper focused on your particular research goals, but in research the best laid plans never follow a simple path. Mistakes and unexpended results can help shape your research and make you consider prospectives or ideas that you hadn’t considered before. So, it is okay if something doesn’t work, just keep following the data and you will make your own discoveries.

If your research had a theme song, what would it be? 

Hear me out on this one, Tubthumping by Chumbawamba. Research has many highs and lows, but as long as you keep going it will all work out. The lyrics “I get knocked down, But I get up again” really encapsulates this mindset, and who doesn’t love a fun throwback!

What do you do to relax?

Whilst reading research articles and scientific journals is great for work, I try to read for enjoyment too, life can’t be all about work (even if it feels like it sometimes). Since moving to York, I have also been trying to sample as many places as possible and keep a list wherever I visit. I have been to 63 different pubs and 23 different restaurants around York! Anything I can do with friends is a good time to unwind from research.

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Could you be our next spotlight? Contact our newsletter team at student-communications@york.ac.uk for more information on taking part in upcoming ‘Meet The PGR’ features.