Having been particularly interested in Biology during school, I decided to apply to Edinburgh University for a Bsc in Biological sciences. Even at this stage I still harboured thoughts of becoming a vet. I loved living in Edinburgh though, and settled into my coursework.

The course structure at Edinburgh started with general biology and then narrowed to areas of study that most interested me. I found myself drifting towards the biomedical sciences and eventually decided that I wanted to specialise in neuroscience as an honours course. The neuroscience path was very popular and competitive, but I worked hard and was lucky enough to secure a place.

The honours year was tough but really interesting. I had a great year which flew by. Before I knew it, I had to make a decision about my career. I still had no idea what I wanted to do but I was offered a job within the Neuroscience Department at Edinburgh as a research assistant. This post was a great opportunity and it eventually lead to my PhD in behavioural neuroscience.

I am thoroughly enjoying my academic career. It has been less than six months since my PhD started and I have already been published in the journal Nature! I feel very fortunate to be working with an excellent supervisor here in Edinburgh and I think I have found my niche.