What is your name?
My name is Lara Kaefer
Where are you from?
I’m originally from Munich, Germany, but I have spent quite a bit of time abroad. I went to boarding school in Canada for three years and then lived in London for four years
To which class do you belong?
I’m part of the MRes Experimental Neuroscience class at Imperial College London
Where and what did you study before joining Imperial College London?
Before Imperial, I did my BSc in Medical Sciences and Engineering at UCL
How did you find your Master’s experience at the College?
I really enjoyed it. What I liked most was the freedom we had to shape our own research. As long as it connected to neuroscience and was supervised at Imperial, we could explore almost anything, from wet-lab work to computational projects to patient studies. The course was very hands-on, so most of the learning happened through real research. I especially valued the chance to rotate through very different projects. It gave me a broad perspective on neuroscience. The environment at Imperial is so collaborative and international, I always felt supported but also challenged to push myself
Which research project did you work on?
I worked on three rotations. The first one was on mitochondrial metabolic efficiency in glioblastoma. I examined how ion leak currents regulate glutamate utilisation and drive cell proliferation in brain tumours. The second one was on sensorimotor gating under postural threat, studying how induced anxiety affects prepulse inhibition of the startle reflex in healthy adults. For the third one, I chose a project on multisensory algorithms and I used computational models and symbolic discovery to understand how agents integrate different sensory channels to navigate. I chose these different projects to figure out what I enjoy most and to get a really well-rounded experience
Where are you now?
I am moving back to Munich
What are you working on?
Currently, I am starting a short-term project at my family’s company in Munich, where I will be working on the digitalisation of property management systems. After that, I am applying for positions in strategy consulting, ideally in teams that work with medical technology and life sciences companies. My goal is to understand the business and strategic side of science and healthcare, and to gain experience in how research and innovation are translated into real-world impact
What is the most important lesson you learnt as a Master’s student?
The most important thing I learnt was how to stay flexible and open. Each project demanded something completely different, from running wet-lab experiments to coding models to working with participants. I often had to pick up skills from scratch, and that taught me not to be intimidated by new methods but just to start and figure it out. I also enjoy the human side of research. During my psychophysiology project, I worked directly with healthy participants and patients, and it showed me how much I value the interaction with people
How did the Master’s programme help you get to where you are now?
The programme pushed me out of my comfort zone in every direction. It gave me practical skills — from coding and data analysis to lab techniques and working with participants — but more importantly, it changed how I approach problems. I’ve become much more independent in my thinking, more confident in exploring unfamiliar areas, and more comfortable adapting to different kinds of challenges
