Meet our students and alumni

We asked some of our students and graduates to share their experiences of studying in the School of Biosciences, and to tell us what they've ended up doing with their degree.

I draw upon what I learned at Sheffield pretty much every day

Niall Bradshaw BSc Biology with a Modern Language (now BSc Biology)

Niall's final year research project really helped to set the direction for what he wanted to do next. Niall chose to stay in Sheffield after his BSc, completing an MRes, followed by a PhD. Niall now works for the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and draws upon what he learned at Sheffield almost every day.

My course allowed me to discover the research area I'm most interested in

Laura Sophia Landon Blake MBiolSci Zoology

Laura has loved the flexibility of her zoology course, allowing her to discover a research area that she's passionate about. For her integrated masters project, Laura is looking at the effects of invasive species on the ecological communities they enter.

Every day is a completely different challenge on placement

Joshua Milner BSc Biomedical Science with a Year in Industry

Joshua spent his placement year working at GSK as an Associate Clinical Development Scientist (Study Manager). During his year, he helped to run four clinical trials within the respiratory specialty, including areas from legal and regulatory, to client management and recruitment strategies.

My fourth year project focussed on cancer and molecular biology

Rachele Bacchetti MBiomedSci Biomedical Science

As an international student, Rachele felt at home at Sheffield and knew that the course and city would give her the opportunity to develop her intellectual skills and allow her to meet new people. Rachele is now a PhD student at the University of Sheffield, continuing the research that she started during her fourth-year integrated masters research project.

I worked in marketing for a haematology product during my placement year

Jordan Tamana BSc Biology with Placement Year

Jordan spent his placement year outside the lab at pharmaceutical company, Takeda, working as a Brand Team Assistant in Oncology. Jordan found the placement really useful in shaping his understanding of working life and what things that do and don’t excite him.

I've enjoyed the opportunity to operate and work in a “real-life” lab

Jack Edun-Hughes BSc Biomedical Science with a Year in Industry

Jack spent his placement year at the UK Health Security Agency and during this time, he began to lead a working lab, having progressed to this position over the year. By the end of his placement, he became in charge of running certain stages of the PCR process. This experience showed Jack that working in a lab after graduation is the right route for him.

I hope that more Sheffield students can experience Seoul in the future

Alexandria Rowland BSc Biomedical Science with a Year Abroad

Alexandria chose to spend a year studying abroad in South Korea. This year has helped Alexandria to get a grasp of how different countries have different philosophies in teaching and research.

I've achieved so much more than I expected to during my placement

Lucinda Wellman-Smith BSc Biochemistry with a Year in Industry

Lucinda is spending her placement year working for consumer goods company, Reckitt within Global Regulatory Affairs. Lucinda has loved how many opportunities there have been within her role and has been surprised by how much she's been able to achieve in such a short space of time.

I've gained great exposure to the working environment in the UK thanks to my placement year

Melissa Wei Yi Tan MBiomedSci Biomedical Science with a Year in Industry

Melissa spent her industrial placement year at Hammersmith Medicines Research (HMR) working as a Student Biomedical Scientist. This experience allowed her to learn about different parts of the lab and a valuable insight into clinical trials.

My placement year was an amazing opportunity which has now opened new doors and paths for me

Ioanna Bezirtzoglou BSc Biomedical Science with a Year in Industry

Ioanna spent her industrial placement year working for healthcare giant, Roche, in a non-lab science-based role. Ioanna was able to shadow teams and work on projects that interested her whilst being pushed out of her comfort zone to pursue her own personal and career development.

School of Biosciences