Odira
PhD Bioengineering
One of the best things about Imperial is that it brings together brilliant people from all over the world, sharing experiences and knowledge.
From a life sciences background to aspiring Neural Engineer, Odira (UK) found that Imperial College London was the only PhD environment that matched his ambitions. He reflects on choosing the right research team, how the James West Scholarship helped him pursue his doctoral degree and how he’s discovering new skills, communities and confidence along the way.
Why I applied for a PhD at Imperial
I aim to be able to call myself a Neural Engineer. However, my path to getting there wasn’t looking too straightforward as I was coming from a life sciences background instead of engineering. This led me to look for the right place and environment where I could develop an engineer’s mindset and skills to facilitate my neuroscience expertise, which I found at Imperial.
Imperial was the only place I applied to for my PhD, because it was the only place I felt I wanted to be.
When searching for a PhD, I focused on finding teams which do all the things I’m interested in, where I could learn new skills and improve on existing ones – such as systems neuroscience, non-invasive brain stimulation, neuroimaging, signal analysis and computational modelling. Coincidentally, my current supervisor’s team works on every single one!
After seeing that bullet point list of all my interests on the Dynamic Neuromodulation Laboratory’s website, my decision was made on where I wanted to go. So I emailed the supervisor, wrote a proposal to showcase my researching interests, had an informal interview and now I’m here!
I didn’t come from an engineering background, yet Imperial was the only place I applied to for my PhD, because to be honest, it was the only place I felt I wanted to be. It was unnerving taking such a risk, but I’m happy and honoured to have been given the opportunity to join Imperial.
How to apply for a PhD
When it comes to searching for a PhD, I’d say environment is the most important thing in more than one way – you have to think about the project, the people and the place.
When you’re looking at PhDs, make sure:
- your interests truly fall within the direction of the team you are looking at – you do not want to spend almost four years working on skills and doing research in an area you’re not invested in
- to remember that you need to interview your potential supervisor as much as they are interviewing you. It’s not just them taking you into their team, it’s you joining them. You want to be sure that a good rapport and working relationship can develop as it can make or break your PhD experience
- that you are aware of where you’ll be doing your PhD and conducting your research. I love London so that made my desire to apply for Imperial even greater, being a city with so much to do and so many people to meet from all corners of the world.
My PhD in the Department of Bioengineering
The best thing about my PhD so far is that your work is towards a defined goal in mind, which makes finding the motivation to learn difficult complex skills much easier.
I investigate methods of restoring healthier states in motor pathology using non-invasive stimulation tailored to patients’ biology, aiming to increase accessibility and efficacy. Non-invasive neuromodulation is making amazing strides, and I truly believe that the right initiative and spark could revolutionise precision medicine. I wanted to be a part of the efforts towards this goal.
The best thing about my PhD so far is that your work is towards a defined goal in mind, which makes finding the motivation to learn difficult complex skills much easier. Studying at Imperial has really made me appreciate the value of having rare technical skills that can be applied to a range of problems, and its motivated me to cover practical ground where I might not have the skills yet.
As a first-year PhD student, the lab meeting presentations I’ve done so far have helped me find simple ways to explain densely packed and interdisciplinary information, so much so that I can explain my project to people completely outside the sciences. I really appreciate this skill because I aspire to also work in science communication, as I see the huge value that communicating with the public in simple but accurate ways has in helping share all the valuable knowledge that academics and researchers have generated.
There are also plenty of opportunities at the Early Career Researcher Institute (ECRI) to learn professional skills for your time at Imperial and beyond which I’m actively making use of.
How my scholarship has supported my PhD
I was fortunate to receive the James West Scholarship through the Department of Bioengineering. My supervisor told me about the scholarship once I had applied for the PhD. The scholarship committee associated with the scholarship were really engaging and responsive, and receiving the scholarship made it much easier to pursue my doctoral studies.
If you’re looking for funding support and scholarships that you might be eligible for, I’d suggest using Imperial’s Scholarship Search Tool or checking out the Alternative Guide to Postgraduate Funding Gateway which are great resources to find funding support.
Societies, clubs and culture at Imperial
One of the best things about Imperial is that it brings together brilliant people from all over the world, so there is no shortage of intriguing people to talk to and share experiences or knowledge.
The people around you at Imperial could become lifelong friends or invaluable connections in the future, so it’s important to socialise and explore.
At first, I mainly got to know my PhD cohort but expanded my network after joining Imperial’s basketball team and I’m now one of the incoming Co-Chairs of the Neurotechnology Society. Playing games with the basketball team, attending Neurotechnology Society events and eventually joining the committee has helped me integrate more into Imperial’s community.
The people around you at Imperial could become lifelong friends or invaluable connections in the future, so it’s important to socialise and explore. My colleagues and I try to meet regularly and discuss life beyond the PhD – it creates this camaraderie which makes the social experience better.
I was also involved in the White City Summer Engagement Programme which falls in line with my science communication aspirations. It’s always refreshing to know that there are outlets to take a break from your studies at Imperial when you can just enjoy your passions. You can really do everything and anything here – I even considered joining the Boxing and Muay Thai clubs because I really enjoyed their taster sessions having never tried either sport before. I really like the effect of a new exciting challenge on my mentality.
What's life at Imperial really like?
Connect with current students and explore the vibrant community that makes life at Imperial so unique.
Student life in London
I love the kinds of people you meet in London – it’s a melting pot of brilliant people with different backgrounds and trajectories. It's much livelier and more exciting than my hometown in Essex which makes me enjoy living here that much more.
My local area in Ealing is nice – quiet, peaceful, aesthetic and very close to hotspots across West London. Future students should always think about the comfort of where you live and how far it is to get to your usual activities. For me, being surrounded by everything important to me – such as the gym, supermarket, a shopping centre and convenient transport links – is the priority when looking for accommodation. I'd recommend looking for a place where all the important amenities are within walking distance from you, and your travel into university isn't too tedious to repeat every morning.
My plans after graduating
I'd love to work at the interface between academia and industry, and a typical trajectory would be a postdoctoral researcher position after my PhD. However, Imperial has already opened my mind to the various possibilities beyond academia through the many people I’ve met in and around the university. My plan is to develop into a candidate with a variety of viable options.
Student life in London
I love the kinds of people you meet in London – it’s a melting pot of brilliant people with different backgrounds and trajectories. It's much livelier and more exciting than my hometown in Essex which makes me enjoy living here that much more.
My local area in Ealing is nice – quiet, peaceful, aesthetic and very close to hotspots across West London. Future students should always think about the comfort of where you live and how far it is to get to your usual activities. For me, being surrounded by everything important to me – such as the gym, supermarket, a shopping centre and convenient transport links – is the priority when looking for accommodation. I'd recommend looking for a place where all the important amenities are within walking distance from you, and your travel into university isn't too tedious to repeat every morning.
My plans after graduating
I'd love to work at the interface between academia and industry, and a typical trajectory would be a postdoctoral researcher position after my PhD. However, Imperial has already opened my mind to the various possibilities beyond academia through the many people I’ve met in and around the university. My plan is to develop into a candidate with a variety of viable options.
If you're thinking of applying to Imperial, just do it.
My experience at Imperial so far has been transformative. I work on lots of different types of tasks that I've never done before, and approach them in a way that is novel to me. I know I’m still learning and will continue to do so while benefiting from the effects of the approach my team takes to research.
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