Jenny is studying for an integrated MSci degree in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Manchester and began freelance writing during her third year of study. She has had a passion for biology since high school and has discovered an interest in disease and treatment mechanisms throughout her studies. Her main interests are in cancer biology and infection response, and her MSci project is in the field of ubiquitin-like modification and DNA damage response.
Jenny’s love of science has always been apparent, and she was mainly interested in chemistry and mathematics for a large portion of her school career. However, having taken Biology as the ‘fifth’ A-Level and not expecting to be thrilled by it, she discovered a new interest, especially for the human science and medical aspects of the course. She has also, however, always had a love for and fascination with nature and anything animal-related, so it probably shouldn’t have been a surprise that biology became her main passion.
During her time in sixth form, she completed a week-long work experience opportunity in the Heath teaching hospital in Cardiff, and it was this experience that sparked her love for laboratory work. She has since enjoyed several University laboratory units, enhancing many of her wet lab skills, including histology and microscopy, assay preparation, and bacterial culturing.
Jenny has also found a love for scientific communication throughout her time studying sciences, working at a variety of levels. She enjoyed educational communication within school, both helping to tutor a GCSE chemistry group and captaining and coaching her school’s Chemistry Olympiad team. Her interest in writing scientific pieces started with a Welsh Baccalaureate project on the potential applications of oncolytic virotherapy, for which she was able to interview Health-based researcher Dr. Alan Parker. She then wrote her second-year University dissertation on cancer immunotherapy, again a piece that was fuelled by a desire to understand and help explain treatment mechanisms. She aims one day to work in a research laboratory studying disease mechanisms and therapeutic targets, as this both fulfills her curiosity for medical knowledge and allows the opportunity to help develop treatments that could be beneficial to others.