Role/company: Vaccine Development Scientist at a biotechnology company
Subject area: Immunology
Nationality: I spent most of my childhood in the UK and have family and cultural links to Madagascar, Senegal, and France
I have very recently completed my PhD in Immunology at Imperial and am now using my immunology knowledge to develop vaccines at a biotechnology company.
Education
A-level (or equivalent): History, French, Chemistry, Biology, Maths
Degrees
• BSc in Biochemistry, Imperial College London
• MRes in Infection and Immunity, Imperial College London
• PhD in Immunology (pending final award which should be soon!), Imperial College London
Detail about Madina
My research
My PhD research focused on developing new ways to study the immune system and its response to respiratory viruses. For this I used the tropical fish species zebrafish, which are easy to work and have gill tissue – the fish equivalent of the lungs.
My inspiration
The complexity of the immune system – you never get bored!
Who is your STEM hero?
Professor Chris Jackson, Professor in Sustainable Geoscience – he uses his passion and knowledge not only to better our understanding of the Earth, but also to encourage young people to get excited about science, and to challenge institutions and communities to make science fairer and more inclusive.
Most significant discovery/invention?
Science is a process that builds on previous work so for me all discoveries are significant!
Career options after study
- Working in healthcare as a clinical immunologist
- Developing new therapies and medicines in pharmaceutical companies
- Teaching science in schools or universities
- Carrying out academic research
- Working as an intellectual property lawyer
My hobbies
I love to bake – it’s a basically a chemistry experiment that you can eat!
I also love films and spent eight years helping to run the cinema at Imperial with other students.
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