The Signalling & Cell Fate ISP - Skills training

The Signalling and Cell Fate ISP aims to have a cohort of students (currently around 10 across the year groups) studying for their PhD in research groups supported by one or more postdocs. A number of students in these research groups are supported by BBSRC CASE studentships; including three with AstraZeneca in the last 5 years and one with Takeda, which involves on-site training at Takeda.

In addition to scientific training and development, students are encouraged to develop their ‘transferable skills’, participating in schemes such as BBSRC’s Biotech YES business plan competition to gain an awareness of business development/commercialisation processes, undertaking public engagement work and presenting their research at conferences.

Recent highlight achievements by our PhD students include the award of a travel grant by the Society for Neuroscience to Elizabeth Babetto (Coleman laboratory) in 2009. This prestigious award includes a stipend and meeting registration fees, to enable outstanding PhD students to attend the annual Neuroscience conference.  In 2006, Babraham students took the top prizes in Cambridge University poster competition. Emma Wiggins, then a first year PhD student (Pell laboratory), won first prize for the overall best poster in the annual competition run by the University of Cambridge Graduate School of Biological and Veterinary Sciences. Claire Fearnly (Bootman laboratory) won the prize for the best 1st year poster.

The Signalling groups have also regularly supported the training of European Master’s students through the ERASMUS scheme and Da Vinci UniPharma Graduates Project, a 6-month training placement coordinated by the University of Rome. The first Da Vinci student will arrive in September.

Undergraduates and 6th formers, supported by organisations such as the Nuffield Foundation, Biochemical Society, Genetics Society, BBSRC and AMGEN, have been selected to undertake summer research projects of between 6 and 10 weeks in the Institute’s research laboratories. In addition to the skills developed by the bursary holder, those supervising in the hosting laboratories have gained valuable training and mentoring experience.

Key publications from the Signalling & Cell Fate ISP

Translating the ISP's Research into Action (KEC)

Public Engagement

Skills training