Meet Dr Elizabeth Want
What course do you teach on and what is your role?
I am the MRes in Biomedical Research Programme Co-director and co-lead of the General BMR stream. Alongside that, I am also the Head of Year 2 for Medical Biosciences BSc.
How has your career led you to teaching?
I have always enjoyed teaching. I started as a postdoc teaching short-courses and then progressed to teaching modules for undergraduate courses once I became a Lecturer. I have been involved in workshops, seminars and journal clubs, as well as giving advice on finding a PhD. My role has moved more towards management, although I still enjoy giving lectures on my research area of mass spectrometry.
What aspect of the course do you enjoy teaching the most?
I enjoy both talking about my area of research and being able to advise the MRes students on possible next career steps once they leave the course.
What do you hope your students will go on to achieve on completion of this course?
The MRes is designed to prepare students for a research environment, although of course not all students follow that career path. However, the knowledge that they gain throughout the course means that many career options are open to them. We encourage the students to become more independent, improve their organisation and time management skills and become more resilient.
What is your favourite part about teaching at Imperial College London?
Overall, the MRes students are keen to learn, and we have many enjoyable interactive sessions with them, including journal clubs and debates.