Alumni Brains

What is your name?

Xiaoyue (Sydney) Xie

Where are you from?

Nanjing, China

To which class do you belong?

MRes Experimental Neuroscience class of 2025

Where and what did you study before joining Imperial College London?

I did my BSc in Biological Sciences at Imperial College London

How did you find your Master experience at the College?

Challenging yet rewarding. This Master’s helped me to think more independently. By completing three rotations, I was able to explore neuroscience, and more specifically, glial cells from various perspectives. This allowed me to approach scientific questions holistically by drawing connections across disciplines. Throughout my journey, I received considerable support from both my supervisors and the department. This Master’s has helped me to confirm the area of neuroscience I am truly passionate about

Which research project did you work on?

I did three research projects throughout this year. My first project was with Dr Kambiz Alavian. I investigated microglial mitochondrial function in Parkinson’s disease. Using a combination of techniques, such as immunostaining, protein ligation assay and patch clamp electrophysiology, I focused on DJ-1 interaction with the ATP synthase under physiological and diseased conditions. I completed my second project under Dr Raffaella Nativio, investigating DNA-damage induced senescence in astrocytes. We revealed the paracrine effect of senescence in human primary astrocytes. I opted to complete a computational project as my last rotation with Dr Anna Mallach. By analysing the open access AMP PD single-nucleus RNA sequencing dataset, I investigated the underlying drivers of cognitive symptoms in Parkinson’s disease. I focused on astrocytes in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and primary motor cortex. We revealed regional divergence of astrocytic states and altered astrocytic communication with neurons.

Where are you now?

I am starting a PhD with Professor Wiliam Wisden at Imperial College London

What are you working on?

I will be investigating the function of different stages of sleep using transcriptomic approaches

What is the most important lesson you learnt as a Master’s student?

Work hard but also work smart. Hard work is irreplaceable for achieving success but learning how to rest in between the busiest times is like the cherry on top of the cake – it boosts your efficiency and mental health to help achieve better results. Instead of being frustrated and defeated, view every setback as an opportunity to learn and improve. Always focus not only on getting the best grade, but on giving your best effort

How did the Master’s programme help you get to where you are now?

The Master’s program helped to understand what it’s like and how to work in a laboratory environment. I have learned to execute, plan, and complete projects efficiently within a short timeframe. By completing a report for each project, I have enhanced my skills in communicating scientific findings. All these skills are helping me grow as a scientist for my future academic journey

Read Xiaoyue (Sydney) Xie: ‘Always focus not only on getting the best grade, but on giving your best effort’ in full

What is your name?

My name is Jiayu Xiang

Where are you from?

I am from Yichang, China

To which class do you belong?

MSc Translational Neuroscience 24/25

Where and what did you study before joining Imperial College London?

I completed my BSc in Biochemistry at Imperial College London before my Master’s degree

How did you find your Master’s experience at the College?

I think it was challenging, but in the best way possible. It pushed me to grow a lot, not just in research, but also in how to balance study and life and stay curious when things got tough. The research project, in particular, was such a rewarding part of the journey. One of the highlights was meeting students from diverse backgrounds, and I learned much from my classmates. Everybody was happy to share and help each other. The course was very interactive and open to feedback. It felt like the programme kept evolving with us, which made the experience even more engaging and supportive

Which research project did you work on?

I worked with Dr Kambiz N. Alavian’s group, investigating how mitochondrial efficiency changes during ageing using C. elegans as the model. I am grateful to have had the chance to explore different techniques and explore my curiosity throughout the project. During my time in the lab, I learned how to perform mitochondrial patch clamp recording and carry out various staining experiments. I also got to set up a machine learning model to track worm behaviour, which was a whole new and exciting area for me. It was a great experience that allowed me to combine my background in molecular and cellular biology with neuroscience, and to understand ageing mechanisms at the cellular level

Where are you now?

I am back home in China to rest for a bit

What are you working on?

My Master’s experience strengthens my passion for scientific research, so I’m now applying for relevant PhD opportunities. I hope to continue building on my postgraduate project if possible. It’s a field that feels both intellectually challenging and deeply meaningful and I’m excited to keep moving forward

What is the most important lesson you learnt as a Master’s student?

Plan ahead, work ahead and stay organised. All the requirements and deadlines of the assessments in each module were released at the start, so it is crucial to balance lectures and assignments, starting early always pays off. Another valuable takeaway was learning how to present my work effectively. Working hard is the foundation, but being able to communicate your ideas clearly and confidently is important in academia and in any future career

How did the Master’s programme help you get to where you are now?

Coming from a biochemistry background, the Master’s programme was a great opportunity for me to learn neuroscience from the ground up, starting with the basic neuroanatomy and core concepts in the first few modules. Those modules helped me understand which areas of neuroscience I was most interested in. As the course went on, learning from experts in different fields helped me refine those interests further. When it came to the research project, it was a great chance to put what I learned into practice and explore my chosen topic in depth. The whole experience, from writing a research proposal to presenting our findings, gave me a real taste of what being a researcher is like. It helped me confirm my passion for this path, understand the challenges behind scientific research, and see what kind of work truly excites me

Read Jiayu Xiang: ‘The whole experience, from writing a research proposal to presenting our findings, gave me a real taste of what being a researcher is like’ in full

What is your name?

Dana Gawlitzek

Where are you from?

San Francisco, USA

To which class do you belong?

MSc Translational Neuroscience 2024/25

Where and what did you study before joining Imperial College London?

I studied neuroscience (BS) at American University in Washington, DC

How did you find your Master’s experience at the College?

I found the Master’s program to be both challenging and highly rewarding. The skills I developed and the research techniques I was exposed to, particularly in neuroimaging and neurostimulation, proved invaluable. The MSc program ultimately shaped me into a more well-rounded and capable scientist

Which research project did you work on?

My project was titled “Investigating the role of anxiety on vestibular control of balance during step initiation” and I was supervised by Dr. Toby J. Ellmers

Where are you now? 

I am now joining the lab of Professor Charlotte Grosse Wiesmann at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig, Germany, as a research assistant and will be transitioning to a PhD position after 6 months

What are you working on?

I will be working on a project investigating the theory of mind development in children using fMRI

What is the most important lesson you learnt as a Master’s student?

The most important lesson I learned during my Master’s was the value of adaptability in research. Initially, I felt nervous about the project I was assigned, as it focused on a topic I knew little about and involved techniques with which I had no experience. However, as I engaged with the work, I realised it offered opportunities to develop new skills and perspectives that I hadn’t anticipated. In the end, the project proved to be both highly rewarding and a valuable learning experience, and I emerged with a much broader skill set than I had anticipated. This taught me that being open-minded and flexible can often lead to growth in ways I couldn’t have predicted

How did the Master’s programme help you get to where you are now?

The skills and experience I gained through my independent research project were instrumental in securing my current research position and demonstrating that I had completed a research project from start to finish, from experimental design to data analysis and write-up, which highlighted both my technical abilities and research independence, which proved to be a valuable and compelling aspect of my applications

Read Dana Gawlitzek: ‘The MSc program ultimately shaped me into a more well-rounded and capable scientist’ in full

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

Read Lara Kaefer: ‘What I liked most was the freedom we had to shape our own research’ in full

What is your name?

Ana Sofia Narvaez Paliza

Where are you from?

Mexico

To which class do you belong?

MSc in Translational Neuroscience 2024/25

Where and what did you study before joining Imperial College London?

I did a BSc in Biomedical Sciences at King’s College London

How did you find your Master’s experience at the College?

Stimulating, challenging, and inspiring. I had been excited about pursuing this master’s for a very long time. Now that I have finished it, I can say it was so worth it. I did not find the master’s easy, but for me, that was the whole point: I wanted to be challenged! I learnt so much: a wealth of neuroscience knowledge, numerous skills, increased confidence and I made friends!

Which research project did you work on?

I worked at Jackson’s lab at the UKDRI. I investigated whether Alzheimer’s disease resilient individuals (individuals who show no cognitive impairment despite the presence of pathology) have a distinct pathology profile. Specifically, I examined whether certain types of amyloid beta and tau pathology, in higher or lower proportions, are more closely associated with synaptic preservation or compensatory changes. I used human post-mortem brain tissue and techniques such as immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, and AI-powered segmentation

Where are you now? 

London

What are you working on?

I love research, so I am currently working towards securing funding to pursue a PhD and continue my career as a researcher in the field of neurodegeneration

What is the most important lesson you learnt as a Master’s student?

I learnt about resilience. We sometimes assume that if we put 100% of our effort into something, things will work out because we tried our best. However, experiments can fail, applications can be rejected, and setbacks can occur. So, I really learnt to be resilient and to keep working towards my dreams, because if not now, then when?

How did the Master’s programme help you get to where you are now?

Thanks to the master’s, I feel ready to take on any challenge. I believe the master’s program taught me how to learn more effectively in the future. As a researcher, you never stop learning (which is the awesome part of it), so being ready to learn and take on any challenge is essential. This master’s program prepared me to acquire new skills and tackle challenges and gave me the confidence to do so

Read Ana Sofia Narvaez Paliza: ‘I had been excited about pursuing this master’s for a very long time. Now that I have finished it, I can say it was so worth it’ in full

What is your name?

Antigone Fogel

Where are you from?

I was born in California, moved to Toronto when I was 7, and to Vancouver for university

To which class you belong to?

MSc Translational Neuroscience ‘24

Where and what did you study before joining Imperial College London?

I studied Behavioural Neuroscience with a minor in English Literature at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada and spent the subsequent two years managing continuing medical education programs for Canadian physicians with a focus on emerging medical technology

How did you find your Master experience at the College?

Fantastic. It was fast-paced, challenging and immersive. The modules offered exposure to a breadth of topics in neuroscience, and the streams allowed us to tailor our coursework to topics of particular interest to us. I have never learned so much in one year. This course supports its students in developing hugely valuable and marketable skills for both academic and professional routes, and I feel we are all better equipped to take on the next steps in our lives as a result! I entered this course with no coding experience, learned how to code in Python and MATLAB, completed a machine learning dissertation project and ultimately decided to pursue a PhD in machine learning here at Imperial. A year ago, I had no intention of staying in academia, but, because of this Masters, I discovered an area of research that is deeply meaningful to me, a supervisor and lab who are extremely supportive, kind, and collaborative and a type of day-to-day work I absolutely love

Which research project did you work on?

I developed a predictive machine learning model and accompanying digital consultation tool to support the personalisation of prognoses for people living with dementia

Where are you now? 

I have just started a PhD here at Imperial

What are you working on?

Building on my MSc work, my PhD will focus on developing machine learning models and digital consultation tools for dementia risk screening and trajectory mapping using Electronic Health Record data

What is the most important lesson you learnt as a Master student?

I learned that what you get out of experiences is a direct product of how much you put into them, the value of being concise, and always being open to changing your mind!

How did the Master programme help you get to where you are now?

In so many ways! The course introduced me to the world of machine learning applied to healthcare and provided essential foundations in Python programming, computational methods applied to neuroscience and machine learning fundamentals. Without the technical and research skills I gained and the professional relationships I developed over the course of this Masters, I would not be where I am today

Read Antigone Fogel: ‘Without the technical and research skills I gained and the professional relationships I developed over the course of this Masters, I would not be where I am today’ in full

What is your name? 

Aglaia Freccero

Where are you from? 

Turin, Italy

To which class you belong to? 

MSc Translational Neuroscience 2022

Where and what did you study before joining Imperial College London?

BSc Biomedical Sciences at University College London

How did you find your Master experience at the College?

My Master’s experience has been extremely insightful and rewarding. The modules taught me about various aspects of the neuroscience field, and the research project allowed me to apply that knowledge in practice. I appreciated the guidance and support of the academic staff and had the opportunity to learn from and work with world-leading researchers, as well as brilliant peers

Which research project did you work on?

For my MSc research project, I joined Dr Martina Di Simplico’s lab in the Division of Psychiatry. I researched motivational abnormalities in young people with binging and purging behaviour as part of the iMAGine Study. In particular, I investigated the role of attentional biases towards food and body shape cues and their interaction with negative affect in driving eating disorder psychopathology. I am now in the process of publishing the results of my thesis

Where are you now?

I am still in the Department of Brain Sciences at Imperial, in the Division of Psychiatry. I am now in the second year of my PhD. Following my MSc, I graduated with a Master’s in Public Health at Imperial to translate my experience in clinical mental health research at a population level

What are you working on?

My PhD project investigates the potential of delivering AI-informed mobile behavioural interventions to support adolescents’ mental health in schools. Due to the ubiquitous use of smartphones among adolescents, mobile mental health apps might constitute a promising scalable tool for mental health prevention and early intervention. My project integrates clinical, social and data science. I am being supervised by Prof Dasha Nicholls, Dr Martina Di Simplicio and Dr Lindsay Dewa

What is the most important lesson you learnt as a Master student?

The biggest lesson I have learnt during the Master’s is to be able to carry out research independently. I believe that my Master’s experience has truly been the start of my journey to mature as a scientist. The MSc taught me how to take ownership of my research, develop appropriate research questions and methodologies and overcome challenges when things do not go as planned

How did the Master programme help you get to where you are now?

The knowledge, skills and network I acquired during my Master’s programme have been fundamental in helping me to get where I am now and being awarded the President’s PhD scholarship. The welcoming environment of the Division of Psychiatry and the solid relationships I built with my supervisors also played a significant role in my decision to stay in the Department of Brain Sciences for my PhD

Read Aglaia Freccero: ‘My Master’s experience has been extremely insightful and rewarding’ in full

What is your name?

Dana Aljarrah

Where are you from?

Jordan

To which class you belong to?

MSc Translational Neuroscience, Class of 2024

Where and what did you study before joining Imperial College London?

I completed my BSc in Medical Neuroscience at the University of Sussex

How did you find your Master experience at the College?

I found my master’s to be a huge learning experience; the MSc Translational Neuroscience course was detailed and well-organised. This course involved many learning and assessment approaches covering different aspects of neuroscience, from neural differentiation to neural networks. Overall, this course offered a comprehensive understanding of molecular and computational neuroscience, thus deepening my knowledge of the brain, its development, and its function and dysfunction. During my undergraduate degree, I learned about studies conducted at Imperial College London. When I started my master’s, I was lectured by world-leading researchers I have looked up to and it was surreal! I undertook the computational stream, something I had little experience in before this course: I found it to be incredibly rewarding

Which research project did you work on?

My laboratory-based research project was supervised by Dr Nathan Skene and aimed to develop an epigenomic technique for the profiling of single cells in post-mortem human brains. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) was previously viewed as a disease of the neuron; however, recent studies highlighted the role of the microglia, the brain’s immune cell, in inherited and non-inherited AD. Despite identifying genetic risk variants for AD, specific microglial subtypes remain elusive. We employed a cutting-edge microfluidics technique to isolate single cells from post-mortem human brain-sorted nuclei cultures. We then successfully integrated this technique with our lab’s protocol for single-cell epigenomic mapping. When this approach is applied to sorted microglia, it aims to provide us with an understanding of how AD-related genetic variants affect immune cell function, and how they contribute to disease onset and progression. By identifying the distinct epigenomic profiles of subpopulations of microglia, researchers can develop more targeted therapeutic strategies for AD. I enjoyed this project and found it to be deeply insightful. I was responsible for designing and executing experimental protocols, analysing my data and presenting my outcomes during weekly lab meetings. This improved my scientific writing and communication skills

Where are you now?

London, UK

What are you working on?

I am a research assistant at the Neurogenomics Lab at the UK Dementia Research Institute with Dr Nathan Skene and I am also seeking PhD opportunities. My current focus is on further optimising the technique we developed during my master’s project and contributing to the lab’s objectives in discerning the specific cell types involved in Alzheimer’s disease

What is the most important lesson you learnt as a Master student?

The importance of taking the initiative. This course is only one year long but because I took the initiative, I could work on three projects throughout the year. I wanted to explore different areas of neuroscience I had not yet explored during my undergraduate degree: psychiatry, computation and neurogenetics. During the first project, I analysed data from patients with eating disorders. In the second project, I processed data from human clinical trials to build a machine-learning model for clinicians and scientists. While tutoring the new students undertaking the Translational Neuroscience MSc (2025) course, I was happy and proud to see them take the initiative and channel their excitement about the course

How did the Master programme help you get to where you are now?

This experience shaped me into a well-rounded scientist with a diverse skillset, from grant writing to data analysis and machine learning. I look forward to applying those skills in the future. This programme also provided many networking opportunities, leaving me with lifelong connections with peers and world-leading researchers

Read Dana Aljarrah: ‘I found my master’s to be a huge learning experience’ in full

What is your name?  Rou Ann Lim

Where are you from?  Malaysia

To which class you belong to? MSc Translational Neuroscience, Class of 2024

Where and what did you study before joining Imperial College London? I studied BSc Medical Biosciences also at Imperial College London before pursuing my Master’s

How did you find your Master’s experience at the College? My Master’s experience was extremely rewarding. Despite some challenges, I appreciated the opportunity to push my limits, gain new skills, and learn valuable techniques. I found much support from my personal tutor, Professor Payam Barnaghi, my supervisors (Professor Adam Hampshire, Valentina Giunchiglia and Ziyuan Cai), the whole department and my peers. As a student representative, I also enjoyed supporting my peers and working with the department to improve the student experience. Overall, it was an academically stimulating, supportive and enriching experience

Which research project did you work on? My MSc thesis focused on modelling cognitive and motor impairments using British 1946 birth cohort data. The aims were to refine cognitive metrics obtained from the online cognitive test data using a computational model called the Iterative Decomposition of Cognitive Tasks (IDoCT) to enhance their precision and sensitivity. My analysis was on eleven different cognitive tests assessing various cognitive domains. The findings indicated that IDoCT metrics, particularly from memory-related tasks, emerged as robust predictors of brain biomarkers, including amyloid levels, brain volume, and brain boundary shift integral metrics. The machine learning analyses predicted motor function using the IDoCT metrics, employing decision trees and random forest algorithms for their superior performance. These models successfully forecasted the severity of right pronation-supination and kinetic tremor hand movements

Where are you now? I am currently based in London

What are you working on? I will soon start a clinical data scientist internship at Great Ormond Street Hospital. The aim is to design a graphical user interface for clinicians to access a large language model that predicts delays in cardiology treatment times. Additionally, I aim to pursue medicine in September 2025

What is the most important lesson you learned as a Master’s student? The most important lesson was learning to be independent, proactive, and resourceful. Self-improvement and acquiring new skills are essential, but knowing when to seek help from experts, such as professors, is equally crucial in shaping one’s learning experience

How did the Master’s programme help you get to where you are now? Before starting, I knew artificial intelligence (AI)/ data science was becoming crucial in healthcare, and the programme gave me the skills to leverage it effectively. I developed technical expertise in data analysis, machine learning, and coding and soft skills like problem-solving, teamwork, and leadership. These experiences have laid a strong foundation for my future as a clinician-scientist, particularly in neurosurgery, where AI can predict surgical outcomes and enhance precision. This foundation will allow me to apply AI to improve patient outcomes while carefully evaluating the associated benefits, risks and biases

Read Rou Ann Lim: ‘It was an academically stimulating, supportive and enriching experience’ in full

What is your name?

Caitlin Law

Where are you from?

Herefordshire, UK

To which class you belong to?

MSc Translational Neuroscience, Class of 2024

Where and what did you study before joining Imperial College London?

I studied BSc Biomedical Sciences at the University of Leeds

How did you find your Master experience at the College?

The taught part of the course was very stimulating, with lectures delivered by top neuroscientists within their fields. Although balancing both the teaching and assignments was challenging at times, the hard work proved to be rewarding. I enjoyed how each module had a unique form of assessment, from research proposals to hackathons and presentations, allowing me to develop a diverse range of skills. Additionally, the taught part was a great opportunity to develop strong friendships with my colleagues. I really enjoyed the second half of the course, offering the invaluable experience of being fully integrated into a research group and developing my skills as a researcher

Which research project did you work on?

I carried out a laboratory-based research project under the supervision of Dr Raffaella Nativio. I investigated the molecular mechanism underlying the astrocyte response to amyloid-b42, including transcriptomic and upstream epigenetic alterations. I was very fortunate to undertake my project at the UK Dementia Research Institute at Imperial College London, where I was exposed to cutting-edge, multidisciplinary dementia research. The Institute has a very welcoming and friendly environment, which made the experience even more enjoyable

Where are you now? What are you working on?

I am applying for PhD positions and hope to start next year. In the meantime, I am taking some time off to travel

What is the most important lesson you learnt as a Master student?

I have developed my confidence as a neuroscientist. For example, the course provided many opportunities to communicate my ideas, such as by presenting research proposals as an assignment or during lab meetings within the research project. I have also learned to be more confident in asking questions and networking

How did the Master programme help you get to where you are now?

Within the Master’s programme, I made connections, which have opened doors for future opportunities. My experience during my research project has also further fuelled my motivation to pursue a research career

Read Caitlin Law: ‘I have developed my confidence as a neuroscientist’ in full