Annabel chose to undertake a research masters as a stepping-stone to her PhD, and was encouraged to take her academic career further after graduation thanks to her supportive group and supervisor. Name Annabel Rae Degree Masters by Research Year of graduation 2019 Your Time at the UniversityDuring my undergraduate degree in London, I liked the idea of doing a PhD due to the thorough enjoyment of my final year dissertation project. I chose to undertake a research masters as a stepping-stone to PhD as it is not a decision to be taken lightly so I wanted to be 100% sure that this was what I wanted. The research masters gave me the fantastic opportunity to see what life was exactly like for a PhD student and gain a respected qualification at the same time.I loved every moment of my masters; due its freedom from lectures and exams I was able to solely focus on my project. Being treated exactly like a PhD student meant I was able to attend multiple conferences as well as symposium talks discussing similar research. I could not have asked for a better or more encouraging research group and supervisor at Edinburgh, I learnt far more than I ever thought I would in the short space of a year. Thanks to amazing support from my supervisor and research group I would not have had the confidence to apply for a PhD without them!Your Experiences Since Leaving the UniversityThrough hard work during my research masters I was able to achieve an MScR with distinction and publish my first paper kick starting my research career!Experiencing the highs and lows of research whilst having such a supportive group and supervisor encouraged me to take my research further through a PhD. As a result, in 2023 I graduated Strathclyde university with a PhD in chemistry. Since graduating my PhD I have been able to continue my successful career in research as a scientist for MoD. Although now the science research I conduct is in a different field to both those of my Masters by Research and PhD, everything I have learnt from the MScR provided me with the necessary skills to give me that boost over when applying for PhD's and subsequent jobs.Although my Masters by Research was only one year I have made friends for life and regularly meet up with my old office group. Even though we are all split up over the UK this gives us a great excuse for weekend breaks to catch up and reminisce about our Edinburgh days!Alumni WisdomI am a firm believer of ‘you get out what you put in’, this means the harder you work the more rewards you will gain. For example, not only did I get a distinction in my masters but was also able to publish the results in my first paper!Your supervisor and group will push you to get the best out of you but they will be with you every step of the way even when times get tough, so don’t be afraid to turn to them when you need help! This article was published on 2023-10-16
