Find out about Vidicha's journey from Lisbon to London, and from BSc to PhD via MSc at Queen Mary.
"Queen Mary has made me realise that no matter your socioeconomic background, all students are equally exposed to all kinds of opportunities. No matter your background, origin or socioeconomic status, every person can achieve their goals in life.
Initially, I didn’t consider pursuing higher education (due to the language barrier) but different factors later motivated me to take on this challenge.
I came across BSc Pharmaceutical Chemistry and the contents being taught in this degree seemed very diverse to me, including chemistry, physics, and the option to spend a year in industry. I made this degree and Queen Mary the first choice in my UCAS application.
Once I approached the end of my BSc degree, I had a clearer idea of which field of science appealed the most to me - Drug Discovery/Development. But I was still looking to build my knowledge in this field further, hence why I decided to pursue an MSc in Clinical Drug Development. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this course covered all the key steps in drug development in great depth, from discovery to quality check and the marketing of a drug. I was very happy with both the BSc and MSc courses as they gave me invaluable insights into the career I wanted to pursue.
I enjoyed almost all my MSc modules but after learning about the key aspects of drug development such as toxicology and data management, I was able to filter down the area that excited me - Drug Discovery and Pre-Clinical Research and Development. It was during my MSc research project which was completed under the supervision of Dr Peter J McCormick and his lab, that I got to meet PhD students and understand their work.
One reason why I wanted to pursue a PhD with Queen Mary was seeing how PhD students from our lab had progressed to have very successful careers in different fields.
Queen Mary has and continues to contribute to shaping the person I am today. My journey here has not only given me extraordinary opportunities but has also given me life-long friends."
Read the full interview on our Alumni blog