Julia

Before Imperial

My dad is a Swedish robotics engineer and my mum is a Brazilian psychologist, so I was raised to be curious. As a little girl, I dreamed of becoming a scientist, but my dyslexia prevented me from keeping up with school and I was advised against pursuing secondary education.  

At 12, after years of determined effort, I learned to read and write and even won my school’s English Award! I kept pushing forward, caught up on years of missed education, graduated school as a top student and went on to earn First Class Honours in my undergraduate degree. 

Applying to Imperial 

During my undergraduate degree, I specialised in neuroscience and dissection anatomy, which sparked a curiosity for neurosurgery. My final-year dissection project involved a laminectomy (a spinal surgery procedure) on a human scoliotic spine. The more I learned about the techniques and tools used in neurosurgery, the more I realised how limited our current treatment methods are. In that moment, I decided that I wanted to be at the forefront of revolutionising technology to improve surgical procedures. 

In pursuit of this, I discovered the Hamlyn Centre for Robotic Surgery at Imperial, which offered a Master’s of Research in Medical Robotics and Image-Guided Intervention. I quickly – and somewhat naively – applied, not realising that the prerequisite was a Bachelor’s degree in an engineering-related subject. A few months later, the Course Director Professor Daniel Elson, emailed me to address exactly that. However, he also stated that my personal statement was impressive and that if I was up for the challenge, he would offer me a place. 

Of course, I had to take him up on his offer – my dyslexia had already taught me that I could overcome any challenge I set my mind to – so why would this be any different? 

Becoming an Imperial Master's student

I still remember my first class at Imperial. We were a small cohort of students, and the class started off with each of us introducing ourselves and the subjects we had studied previously: 

In a movie-like moment, I was the last person to introduce myself. I felt my heart sink further into my chest. I was too overwhelmed and embarrassed to say that I wasn’t an engineer – imposter syndrome completely engulfed me. But I took a deep breath and told myself, “I am stronger than this feeling!”.

Turns out, I didn’t need to worry, because everyone was so friendly. They were curious to speak to me, to work with me and to help explain any engineering knowledge gaps I had – I must admit, learning how to do advanced matrices to program a robotic arm within a few hours, having never done matrices before, is dizzying! 

The professors were also super nice and helpful. From time to time, they would check in with me and tell me how well I was doing. There were so many cool and fun aspects to the taught part of the course that ran during the first term. It was a true bootcamp – from pre-readings, to in-depth lectures, straight into applying what we had learned. But my favourite part was getting to do an individual research project from March to September which gave me the freedom to be creative and explore a personal curiosity. 

From my biomedical science degree, I had learned how sensitive the brain is to necrosis (cell death due to injury) and inflammation, so I wanted to work on a robot that would kill cells via apoptosis (natural cell death). Over six months, I worked cross-departmentally – from Electrical and Electronic Engineering to Physics and Biomedical Engineering – for simulations, and then to build and programme a magnetic setup. The idea was to use magnetic fields to move a nanorobot and heat it up within a cell to induce apoptosis – a fully untethered method. As part of the course, we were asked to present our work as a poster at the Hamlyn Symposium. This was where I got the opportunity to share and discuss my project with international researchers.  

Although at the end, I wasn’t able to get my robot to fully work in person (although it did in simulation!), I learned so much and walked away with a wide range of skills in simulation, circuit design and coding. I’m excited to keep developing all these skills and more as I pursue a PhD in Engineering, after earning a Distinction in my Master’s!  

What it's like to be a student at Imperial

The Imperial community is lovely! When I first started, I quickly made friends through my course and by joining societies. I would highly recommend that anyone coming to Imperial joins at least one society to help set them off on the right social path. I believe a good work–life balance is so important for success. 

The Imperial community is like-minded in that we all value learning and curiosity, which I think is beneficial for promoting a studious and determined environment. At the same time, each student brings so much individuality, fostering a creative and open-minded atmosphere. 

I’m based at the South Kensington Campus, which is in the heart of the area and surrounded by gorgeous architecture, famous museums and beautiful parks. I find that a walk through Hyde Park or Holland Park is all you need to re-energise yourself before getting back to learning.  

Imperial has its own cinema with cheap tickets on the South Kensington Campus too, which is so much fun to go to if you’re looking for something to do as a study break with your course mates. The on-campus pubs and bars are also great places to socialise with lab friends and professors, especially in sunny weather!  

And of course, studying in London means you’re well-connected to explore different cities across the UK and further abroad like Europe. 

Extracurricular activities in London

For me, broadening my horizons – by contributing not only to the future of technology but also to the betterment of society – has been both meaningful and exciting. 

London is so diverse, meaning there is a wide range of volunteering opportunities. Over the past few years, for example, I’ve helped at a food bank, presented at schools to inspire girls to pursue STEM, donated blood, volunteered as an ICU Patient Befriender, trained new parents in infant first aid and fundraised for various charities. 

One of the most exciting experiences was being invited to 10 Downing Street for a discussion on combatting antisemitism. Through my involvement with the Imperial Jewish Society and the wider British Jewish community, I had the opportunity to represent a range of voices and advocate for meaningful change at both local and national levels. 

Whatever you're passionate about, London is full of opportunities to get involved and make a difference!