BSMS > Research > Early Career Researcher Journeys

Early Career Researcher Journeys

Read more about our researchers on this dedicated researcher journeys webpage.

Select a researcher below and read about their journey so far!

Our researchers

A photo of Saeideh Babashahi from BSMS walking up a mountain/hill with others in the background

BACKGROUND IMAGE FOR PANEL

Dr Saeideh Babashahi

It’s been a long journey getting to this point. Having graduated from the Tehran University of Medical Sciences, I was awarded an MSc in health economics with distinction. I also had a successful career as a health economist at the Ministry of Health and Medical Education (Iran). Having been awarded a fully-funded doctoral scholarship, I completed my PhD in health economics at the University of Otago (New Zealand).

I started my first overseas career as a postdoctoral research fellow in health economics, joining BSMS in early 2021 during the pandemic when everything was virtual. I proactively engaged in other roles to expand my network at school and, more broadly, at the university. For example, I’ve become a BSMS early career researchers’ representative at the University of Sussex, and as part of that role, co-organised a research day. I also joined the BSMS Research Governance and Ethics Committee and reviewed many applications. I worked on two NIHR-funded projects that ended this year. I’ve been recently awarded an MRF grant on climate change and health that I am co-leading with another colleague based in South Africa. I am also a co-I on another NIHR-funded climate change grant in South Africa, Zambia and Mozambique. I also got engaged in teaching at the department and, more broadly, BSMS. I developed a short course on health economics for undergraduate medical students, which I ran successfully in 2023. I also co-developed a new module on economic evaluation in healthcare for postgraduates, which we ran successfully in early 2024.

Looking back at my achievements (as well as challenges along the way), I am proud of myself and very grateful for the supportive research culture at BSMS.

Dr Rich Gorman

Perhaps unusually for a medical school, my background and training is in human geography. I undertook my PhD at Cardiff University, in the School of Planning and Geography. I’m biased, but geographers have a lot to offer in helping to understand the social, cultural, spatial, and economic contexts of health. My thesis explored the social and ethical implications of incorporating animals within various caring and health-promoting practices. Through writing about my work, I came into contact with some wonderful colleagues in Arizona with similar interests, thus beginning a series of collaborative projects around grief and animal-assisted-therapies that continue to this day, and have generated real-world impact informing the creation of a place offering support to bereaved individuals.

I moved to work at the University of Exeter, as part of a Wellcome Trust funded project exploring practices of patient involvement around laboratory animal research. We worked with patients and carers to explore their lived experiences of health and illness and what it means to be ‘involved’ in research that they might find ethically challenging. At Exeter, I also applied for a Wellcome Trust grant of my own to explore the ethics involved in using horseshoe crab blood as part of pharmaceutical endotoxin testing practices. This work was fascinating, and being invited to talk about it at industry conventions made it feel very meaningful.

I joined BSMS in 2020 (mid pandemic!), to work on another Wellcome Trust project focussing on ethical preparedness in genomic medicine, where we have been working with families affected by rare genetic conditions to explore different ways of capturing and sharing important stories and messages about their lives. BSMS has been a great place to work. It has given me a platform to develop my own independent research and enabled collaborations with diverse colleagues and communities.

See my full profile here >

Dr Lisa Quadt

My journey into neuroscience is probably a rather uncommon one. I completed my PhD in Philosophy of Mind in Germany in 2016, in which I took an interdisciplinary look at how we can best empirically research and theoretically describe the phenomenon of ‘social cognition’ in humans. Although being immersed in the literature about neuroscientific social cognition research and visiting several neuroscience labs during my PhD in philosophy, I had no formal training in statistics or neuroscience methods. I knew, however, that I wanted to transition into neuroscience after my PhD, because I craved more interaction with a team of colleagues and more tangible outcomes of my work. I considered a second PhD but was hired instead (and to my surprise) as a postdoc on a large clinical trial in the neuroscience department at BSMS. The trial, in which we tested a novel body-based therapy against anxiety in autistic adults, was funded by the charity MQ: Transforming Mental Health. I started at BSMS in 2017 and have been part of the clinical neuroscience team for the past five years.

From day one, I knew that I had found my true passion. I enjoyed all aspects of my new work; the organisational challenges of setting up a large clinical trial, teaching myself (and with a lot of support from my mentors and colleagues!) the relevant skills to conduct experiments and analyse the data, writing up the results and most of all the interaction with participants. To continue my funding after the trial was completed, I was able to secure a Seed Fund from Sussex Neuroscience to look into the associations between complex chronic health conditions and neurodivergence (autism, ADHD, Tourette Syndrome, dyslexia, dyspraxia, etc.).

In 2019, I started an MSc in Psychology through a distance learning course to complement my skills and open potential career pathways. I graduated with a Distinction earlier this year and have since been able to make my position as Research Fellow at BSMS permanent.

In my work at BSMS, my research interests revolve around brain-body interactions in neurodivergent populations, and how we as researchers can create truly participatory clinical neuroscience research. I am immensely grateful that I was able to switch from philosophy to neuroscience and would encourage others to follow their passions.

See my full profile here >

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Dr Eleni Ladikou

What I enjoy about being a doctor is interacting with people and being part of their lives. Helping them during a difficult time is rewarding and generates a feeling of great accomplishment. However, I miss the creativeness and academic challenges that science can provide.

My journey as a junior clinical academic trainee started in Leicester, where I completed the Academic Foundation Programme, which led to being an author in 3 peer-reviewed manuscripts. Following that I moved to Brighton, where I completed my NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowship in Haematology. During my fellowship, I worked 75% clinical at the hospital and 25% in Haemato-oncology research at BSMS. I completed my clinical membership exams (MRCP) and a Master of Research (MRes) early, enabling me to use my remaining laboratory-based time to generate pilot data. During this time, I was awarded the Leukaemia UK "Future of Haematology/Early Career Development" grant (£5000), to cover consumables and we successfully secured 3 years of clinical fellowship and consumable funding from the Sussex Cancer Fund (SCF). I have since also been awarded the British Society of Haematology (BSH) Early-Stage Research start-up grant (£16,500) to cover extra laboratory consumables.

I am now at the final year of my PhD at BSMS with Prof Andrea Pepper and Prof Chris Pepper, working on acute myeloid leukaemia which is an aggressive blood cancer that kills over 2500 people in the UK every year. More specifically I am trying to target AML cells in the bone marrow, where they are protected from chemotherapy. The results of my project will not only be relevant to the field of haemato-oncology but also set the foundations for designing new targeted treatment strategies based on laboratory models of cancer; ‘from bench to bedside’. To date I have already had the opportunity to present my data at conferences including the European Haematology Association (EHA) annual scientific meeting in Vienna, where I won an EHA scholar travel grant, and the London Stem Cell Network meeting. In the duration of my PhD, I have had two first author reviews published (one in the ‘British Journal of Haematology’) and have contributed, and am an author, on two scientific publications in ‘Cancers’. During my PhD I work four days per week in the lab, where I use patient samples and cell lines to test novel drugs trying to disrupt the leukaemia – bone marrow cell adhesion. One day per week I work at the hospital, where I am involved in several clinical trials and clinical research projects. I have also been awarded the BSH Meeting Support Grant (£300 per annum) to fund two patient open days that my research team organised in partnership with SCF. On these open-days patients, and their families/friends, are invited to join the research team at BSMS, have a tour of the labs, and give input into our projects and aims. The feedback we receive highlights that this is a highly constructive and rewarding day for both patients and researchers alike. My PhD has been vital for my personal development. I was involved in promoting the SCF fundraising activities using social media and interviews including one with BBC Sussex, which improved my research dissemination skills. I organised the Haematology Research Group meetings and as the associate director of clinical academic training I inducted and supported more than 15 junior clinical academic trainees through their research placement. Most importantly, I organised the first-ever Brighton Clinical Academic Conference, with more than 50 clinical academics attending.

Over the last few years, I believe I have developed professionally by combining my clinical and scientific knowledge to make me both a better research scientist and clinician.

See my full profile here >

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Dr Leena Al-Hassan

I always had a passion for science and learning, especially biology. I went to the University of Edinburgh to study Biomedical Sciences (Hons Infectious Diseases) and was fascinated by the fields of immunology and infectious diseases. In my final year project and I took on a project on Acinetobacter baumannii from animals which led to my PhD application by a complete coincidence!

After finishing my undergraduate degree I moved to Egypt and worked as a clinical research fellow in the division of infectious diseases at the Children’s Cancer Hospital in Cairo. This was a very enriching experience for me – both a on scientific and personal level as it allowed me to engage with healthcare workers and see the impact of infections directly on the patients, the care they were receiving, and gain a first-hand perspective on how things are running in hospital settings. During my time there, I started my PhD which focused on the epidemiological characterisation of Acinetobacter baumannii – an opportunistic Gram Negative bacterium prominent in healthcare settings - from Egypt. I was travelling frequently between Egypt and Edinburgh, dividing my time between the PhD project and my clinical research role – which in many ways overlapped. However in the final year, I decided to focus solely on my PhD which I thoroughly enjoyed – not only was my project interesting, but I was part of a diverse research group and had an amazing supervisor!

I started my postdoctoral career in Global Health under the supervision of Prof Melanie Newport as part of the Wellcome Trust Brighton and Sussex Centre for Global Health Research. Through this post, I gained exceptional experience in global health research, connecting with international researchers in the fields of infectious and non-infectious diseases. I was fortunate to travel to parts of Africa I hadn’t been before and being welcomed by the local research collaborators. My diverse cultural background has undoubtedly equipped me with the skills and perspectives to fit this role. The Centre coordination was a part of my role which I enjoyed as it allowed me to work closely with our international partners on driving locally applicable and beneficial research, and focussing on building capacity for local researchers. It also facilitated opportunities in expanding my own research in infectious diseases and antibiotic resistance within global health. I was encouraged to pursue my own research and was successful in obtaining seed and early-career research funding through Sussex, Brighton, and external funders which allowed me to establish myself as an independent researcher. I continue to expand the AMR research portfolio to address transmissions and pathways for interventions.

Working within the Department of Global Health and Infection has been an extremely enriching experience due to the diversity of the team, breadth of work, and impact we are all working towards in improving the health and wellbeing of people around the world. The continuous support from within the department, and BSMS a whole has been invaluable, has given me a platform to develop my own independent research in infectious diseases and AMR and enabled multidisciplinary collaborations locally and internationally.

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Dr Samira Bouyagoub

My journey into MRI physics began with a passion for numbers, patterns, and making a positive impact in the medical field. At 17, I aspired to work in medical imaging, particularly MRI, but was unsure how to enter the field. I pursued a Master’s in Computer Systems Engineering at the University of Bristol, where I developed a love for problem-solving and image processing. This led to a PhD in Electrical Engineering focused on video compression and communications.

After a year as a software developer, I decided to return to academic research to follow my passion for MRI. I joined the Neurosciences department at Kent and Canterbury Hospital as a postdoc, quantifying MRI changes in the brain for dementia diagnosis. This experience highlighted the importance of translational research and working closely with clinicians to address critical clinical questions.

I then joined BSMS as a research fellow in MRI Physics at the Clinical Imaging Sciences Centre (CISC), focusing on quantitative MRI techniques to understand the microstructure of the central nervous system and its changes in neurological and psychiatric conditions. My role at CISC also involves providing technical support for fMRI research equipment and shaping research projects at an early stage. This has equipped me to collaborate effectively with researchers from other schools, fostering interdisciplinary connections. In 2021, I became a co-lead of the pre-operative service at CISC, collaborating with neurosurgeons from the local NHS trust to support brain tumour patients.

Recently, I focused on understanding changes in the brains of patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Since this disease affects both the brain and spinal cord, and notably there were no studies or expertise on spinal cord MRI research at BSMS, this gap ignited my interest in quantitative MRI of the spinal cord in ALS. This led to a collaborative study on ALS as a co-investigator, funded by the University of Brighton Rising Star Award, laying the foundation for a larger study proposal. In 2024, BSMS enrolled me in the Sussex University Grant Writing Accelerator Programme, which helped me write my first large grant proposal. The mentorship programme has been invaluable during this process.

BSMS has also provided me with opportunities to develop numerous valuable skills, including teaching and supervising undergraduate and PhD students. I have been an academic skills tutor, delivered SSC on quantitative MRI, and completed a PGCert course in learning and teaching in higher education, earning a fellowship in the Higher Education Academy. I have also successfully supervised Individual Research Projects for 4th-year medical students, with several awarded project prizes.

Outside of BSMS, I serve as the EDI officer on the inaugural governing committee of the African chapter of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM). I also serve on the scientific committee designing the scientific programme and planning the African chapter annual conference.

Throughout my journey, I have learned the importance of collaborative research, seizing opportunities, resilience, and adaptability, with rejections and failures providing valuable feedback leading to eventual success.

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Dr Nina Lockwood

If you hold together my postgraduate starting point, undertaking a Masters in Psychological Research Methods at the University of Sussex, and my current Research Fellow post within the department of Primary Care and Public Health at BSMS, specialising in the field of mental health, it could be easy to conclude that the path joining these two points was planned and linear – this is not the case. I imagine that many people I work with in different strands of my professional life would openly remark that I rarely speak in terms of singular causes, outcomes, or explanations; singular anything. However, if I was pressed to identify a core and consistent theme that runs through my work, my life even, it would be an endless curiosity in how people make sense of themselves and their experiences within the broader context of their social lives; relationality is my ‘thing’.

Aware as I write this of the narrative formula I might be expected to follow, it is tempting to list each academic milestone I have passed along my way. However, I wonder if referring to select examples of these stepping stones might suffice to illustrate a couple of key overarching lessons I have learned, and continue to, and that may be of more interest to a greater range of people. Yes, I completed a PhD in Psychology at Sussex and pursued different teaching and research roles following on from this, yet I arrived at a fork in the road after several years. I wanted to actively engage with people looking for support in making sense of the myriad challenges and forms of distress they experience, and so I began considering practice-based training. I explored potential avenues in clinical psychology, psychiatry and psychotherapy training programmes, opting in the end for psychotherapy. In reality, ‘fork in the road’ is not the right phrase, because I was keen to compliment my teaching and research with practice, rather than change my professional direction – the potential each strand of my professional life offers to stimulate and support the others is invaluable, in my view. Finding and maintaining a footing from which to continue to explore a career path that is not singular in its focus, and that does not evolve in linear or uniform ways is largely down to the wise words and support generously offered by trusted colleagues. I’m not a fan of the word ‘networking’, however I think it relays something of the relational activity that I see as being key to the ongoing plotting of a professional path that offers purposeful meaning. It is through listening to and engaging with a range of people, many holding subtly or even starkly varied views, that I have come to sense something of the direction I wish to travel in.

Not wishing to slip into clichéd remarks on the value of the journey over the destination, yet the potential rewards to be found in process and an openness to varied possibilities feels pertinent as I conclude this reflection. I could not have predicted that my undergraduate interest in health and exercise behaviour research would lead to my present-day involvement in a range of primary and community care initiatives focused on the mental health and wellbeing of marginalised and disadvantaged groups, or me recently being awarded a NIHR small grant, while also developing modules on psychosocial aspects of health and illness, and maintaining an active, independent psychotherapy practice. In a nutshell, I would supportively advise those interested in pursuing a research career to adopt an attitude of active curiosity, an approach that translates into immersing oneself in opportunities to make connections, and in so doing benefit from being part of a catalogue of conversations that create possibilities and guide direction.