Fay Walsh

I chose to study Biological Sciences at Edinburgh as I was attracted by the broad range of subjects covered in the first year and then the many different honours specialisations available in the later years.

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"I chose to study Biological Sciences at Edinburgh as I was attracted by the broad range of subjects covered in the first year and then the many different honours specialisations available in the later years. I really enjoyed my degree at Edinburgh, especially the field trips within Scotland and abroad to Estonia with the Plant Sciences Honours Programme.

In my second year, I was one of the students chosen for the Gatsby Plant Science Summer School - a week of lectures, seminars and practicals from the top scientists in this field.

In my third year, I studied abroad on Erasmus exchange at Uppsala University, Sweden and joined a lab at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences for a 3-month research project. Over the summer I attended the John Innes Centre Summer School, gaining further lab experience and meeting other summer students from all over the world.

These experiences were good preparation for my final year at Edinburgh which was my favourite year as I really enjoyed my time in the lab for my Honours project and made great friends in the process!"

Tell us about your experiences since leaving the University

"In October 2019, I started a PhD at the University of Leeds funded by the Sheila Gosden Legacy Studentship. This studentship is awarded to one PhD student a year for research in plant and environmental sciences.

I am based in the Centre for Plant Sciences and the title of my PhD project is 'Re-engineering root systems for improved water uptake'. I am interested in genes that influence plant root system architecture and how we could make beneficial root system adaptations to improve crop yields. In the future, I plan to continue working in agricultural research either in academia or industry.

I am grateful for all the experiences I had during my degree at the University of Edinburgh which were hugely beneficial for me to get my PhD place and continue in my career."

Any alumni wisdom?

Take advantage of all the opportunities you can find!

Interview conducted in 2019.