Sophie Morse is a Research Fellow at Imperial College. She graduated with a PhD from Imperial College in 2015.

Sophie MorseWhat is a typical day in your job?

My typical day involves going into the lab to set up and perform experiments to test how ultrasound and microbubbles can best open deliver drugs into the brain. I spend a lot of time programming codes to analyse the data and make cool images. Some days I have meetings to discuss results or brainstorm ideas, or write up my research for a scientific journal or train other students.

What did you do before you got this job?

Before this job I was a PhD student at Imperial College.

What do you wish you knew before you started looking for this type of job?

I wish I'd been trained more in my writing skills, as selling yourself in writing is so important!

What do you think the most important skills are for someone in your role?

I think the most important skills are relevant laboratory skills, writing skills, good communication skills and collaborative skills. The best work often comes from teamwork, communicating and collaborating well with other people in the research group.  

What’s your favourite part of the job?

I love that every day is always different. I’m free to plan what to do each day and can alternate between loads of different things. Some days I am in the lab in the morning, writing in the afternoon, brainstorming crazy ideas the next moment and it's just so much fun!

What are you most proud of in your career?

I am most proud of the fact that I push myself all the time to do new and challenging things, that I haven’t tried before, gaining as many experiences as I can when the opportunities come my way. I also won the Gold Medal in Engineering at the STEM for Britain scientific event in the UK parliament which was an incredible experience!  

What do you hope to do in the future?

I want to become a Lecturer in Bioengineering and inspire students to pursue careers in STEM. 

What’s your advice for someone looking for this type of job?

Any degree in engineering or STEM subject can lead to a research fellow position. Work hard in the subjects that you like best and try to find extracurricular activities, like summer schools or STEM festivals in which to participate. Any experience works well. I would also look up people who had the dream job that you would like and have a look at what pathway of education and job they took to get to where they are now. Having role models and getting ideas from other people have done is always good.