I am inspired by anybody who tries to make the world a better place and improve the lives of the people around them. I am also inspired by the curiosity about ourselves and the world around us that science fosters. One of the reasons I enjoy research is that it has the potential to both help me pursue this curiosity and hopefully contribute to knowledge about the brain and cognition which may be used to provide a real-world benefit for people.
I grew up in Derbyshire and developed my initial interest in Psychology there during my A-levels. I enjoyed it enough that I decided to study it for my undergraduate degree at Newcastle University, before doing a Masters in Neuroscience. I then spent a couple of years away from academia, partly due to some difficult family circumstances, and spent a year working in a nursing home. I enjoyed it but missed the challenges of research and the feeling of being involved in the scientific community. As I grew up nearby Manchester, I was happy to return to a familiar city to start my PhD. Now that I am almost a year in, I’m enjoying my research, the city, and being close to so many friends and family!