• Question: How long were you in training to be a scientist

    Asked by aoife fahy to Micki, Claire on 13 Nov 2015.
    • Photo: Claire O'Connell

      Claire O'Connell answered on 13 Nov 2015:


      I did my undergraduate in DCU for four years. I did a cool course called Physics with Biomedical Sciences, which was mainly physics for biological applications. During this course I took three internships in different research labs and in different universities so that I could get an idea of what research life would be like. I also tried research in different areas to see which I liked the most. It also meant that I could learn different skills in chemistry/biology/physics which are really useful for the research I’m doing now.

    • Photo: Micki Mitchell

      Micki Mitchell answered on 13 Nov 2015:


      Well, all in all, 9 years! 4 years for my undergraduate degree in biomedical science. I also did a degree in astronomy with astrophysics. Then I worked for a couple of months in a research centre where I did the cell experiments (we call that “in vitro” experiments) for a cancer treatment. Then I started my PhD project for making a biosensor that can be used by the patient to quickly and easily diagnose a disease/cancer. 9 long years, but they were great fun!!!

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