I am currently in the 3rd year of my PhD in Biotechnology at The University of Westminster. The journey to begin a PhD began for myself in 2020 as an undergraduate when I was fortunate enough to be invited to participate in the first iteration of The Gene Editors of The Future programme led by Dr Kalpana. The experience of designing CRISPR guides and learning how to edit DNA proved to be completely career changing for me, as I decided very early on during my second year BSc that this was the biotechnology that I wanted to work with. During this iteration I was part of a group that designed over 30 guides with a view to delete the Q arm of chromosome 14. This iteration was conducted during lockdown, and was primarily online, however, I was still able to acquire a tremendous amount of knowhow about the process of gene editing. In my final year of undergraduate studies I was supervised by my project leader Dr Kalpana and designed a CRISPR/Cas9 based tool that could be used for early detection of Influenza A. Since commencing my PhD I have been involved in a supporting role in the iterations of Gene Editors of The Future, and have been thrilled to see it grow from strength to strength each year. For my PhD research, I am currently working with CRISPR edited human breast cancer cells.

London Mayoral Assembly

I was a part of the group that helped organise the London Mayoral Assembley, where Sadiq Khan was taken to task and asked questions regarding his plans for the London community. I was one of the main photographers for this event. This is one of the many outreach activities that members of the Gene Editors of the Future family participate in.

Breast Cancer UK Conference

I attended this conference as part of a group of undergraduate and postgraduate students. This international breast cancer conference, held in London, was the first of kind in the UK, and I also presented a poster there. There were fantastic opportunities to network with cancer researchers from around the world. This conference really helped to deepen my understanding of breast cancer, including strategies for detection and what causes the onset of BC.

Gene Editors of The Future Iteration 3 Celebration

Proud to be a part of and celebrate the 3rd iteration of Gene Editors of The Future. This was the largest chort of Gene Editors to date, and I was very honoured to be part of this event. We invited some very special speakers and it was great to network with Gene Editors old and new.

Gene Editors Stall in New Cavendish Street Reception

In October 2022 we held a stall promoting the Gene Editors of the Future programe and also inviting students to speak to us about our work with CRISPR/Cas9 at the Genome Engineering Laboratory. We spent four hours networking with Life Science and non-Life Science students and staff speaking about gene editing.

Gene Editors of The Future Outdoor Celebration 2021

Post lockdown I was proud to be a part of the very first Gene Editors of the Future celebration event. This was held outdoors in Regents Park as per lockdown regulations. About 10 gene editors were able to attend in person, and we were able to network and discuss future directions at this event. Little did I know at that time that future celebration events would be at least 10 times as large as this inaugral one.