Summer Rosonovski

Project: Unravelling DNA’s Mysterious Structures: Developing Probes to Target c-Myc i-Motif DNA
Supervisors: Dr Zoё Waller and Dr Christopher Morris

Science, Spots, and Spieling would be the name of my terrible autobiography. Thankfully for us all I didn’t go into literary and fell in love with the lab.

After gaining experience from lab projects at Essex University and a placement year at GSK as a bioanalyst I decided to take the leap from undergrad to lab rat aka PhD student. I found myself scrolling through PhD’s none of which were for me and I became dishearten, until I stumbled upon one of DNA’s secret structures, the i-motif. I found the growing possibility of these structures forming in vivo captivating and their promise as powerful therapeutics enticing. After meeting with Dr Zoё Waller I was only convinced further that ‘The i-Motif and Me’ was my next chapter.

A BBSRC DTP studentship has been a perfect match for me. Not only am I involved in cutting edge interdisciplinary research, but I am also provided with multiple opportunities to explore my transferable skills. In particular my 3-month internship and the plentiful opportunities for science communication around Norwich city have added significant value to my PhD.

The DTP programme offered me a chance to work in the world-renowned Norwich Research Park and provided me with valuable opportunities to explore my skillset outside of academia.