Graduate profiles

Name: Abigail Callaby

Subjects: BSc Biology

Graduated: 2019

Position: Team Leader Therapeutic Radiographer 

Place of work: Imperial College Healthcare Trust

What first attracted you to Royal Holloway?

I was initially attracted by the incredibly beautiful campus as well as its friendly and homely feel. It has a real community feel and I felt a sense of belonging very quickly. As someone who couldn't decide between Biomedical science or Zoology, I was also attracted by the range and flexibility of modules available.

What did Royal Holloway teach you?

I completed a range of modules, certain favourites including Animal Behaviour, Extreme Animal Physiology, Parasitology, and the Molecular Biology of Cancer. The latter sparking my interest in my chosen career path. The value of friendships, teamwork and having good relationships with your supervisors, who still provide me with opportunities to this day! 

What's happened in your career?

After leaving RHUL, I studied for a postgraduate diploma in Therapeutic Radiography at London South Bank University. In 2021, I then began my career as a junior Therapeutic Radiographer ans was promotoed to Senior Therapeutic Radiographer in 2023. In 2024-2025, I did a 6-month Research Radiographer secondment within the oncology clinical trials team, and in early 2025 was made Team Leader Therapeutic Radiographer. 

Name: Jasper David Chaplin 
Subject: BSc Zoology and MSc Biological Sciences by Research
Graduated: 2022 (BSc) and 2023 (MSc)
Place of work: Royal Veterinary College
Position: Multi-Faculty Technician 

What first attracted you to Royal Holloway?

Royal Holloway was a perfect mix of the things I was looking for in a university. It consistently ranks highly in UK league tables and research excellence frameworks, so I knew that the course would be of high quality. It was close to London, which is one of my favourite cities, and I wanted to be able to go there regularly. Most importantly, when I visited the campus for the first time, I could see myself living there and fitting in.

What did Royal Holloway teach you?

In addition to general life skills learned while living away from home for the first time, I also gained valuable experience with a variety of lab and field work and had the freedom to tailor my program courses in second and third year, which opened up many different career pathways for me. This was really helpful, since I wasn't sure what I wanted to do after I completed my degree.

During my four years at Royal Holloway, I went from being totally incapable of public speaking to successfully presenting my Master's research in front of a group, and I now present semi-regularly at careers events for RHUL, the RVC, and the Royal Society of Biology. I attribute this to a supportive network of staff who gave constructive feedback and encouraged my professional and academic growth.

What's happened in your career? 

I started my career at the Royal Vetinary College as a cleaner and general lab assistant and went on to become a member of the technical team. My role now includes bioveterinary teaching and research support, histology, equipment training, and safety supervision. I work closely with the Widening Participation team, hosting lab classes for secondary schools, and also participate in our annual Night at the Vet College event, where I demonstrate histology techniques to prospective students. In 2023 I became a member of the Royal Society of Biology, which has been invaluable for continued professional development.

My current job is …

My current job is Development Scientist for Thermo Fisher Scientific, a large biotechnology company.

I’m responsible for…

I’m responsible for carrying out DNA extraction and analysis for thousands of bacterial strains, being part of a large team of scientists, bioinformaticians and engineers all working on the development of a new diagnostic technology.

The career path that led me to this job…

Following my course at Royal Holloway, I realised that I became interested in infectious diseases, therefore I further continued my studies in this area and obtained an MSc degree in Medical Microbiology from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, where as part of my Research Project I was working on the development of an assay to detect enteroviruses. When I heard of this job at Thermo Fisher Scientific, I thought this was exactly in line with my experience and interests, applying my knowledge of molecular biology and infectious diseases to help make the world a safer and healthier place.

My typical day…

My typical day consists of a mix of practical work (carrying out DNA extractions) as well as computer work for the DNA analysis, but also general research and reading of relevant literature to improve our assays and methods.

The best part of my job…

The best part of my job is being able to work and interact with a large team where everyone has different backgrounds and areas of expertise, therefore the opportunities to learn and continuously develop as a Scientist are endless. It is also really gratifying to know that I am helping to develop a product which can end up saving thousands or even millions of lives (who knows!).

The worst part of my job…

The worst part of my job is perhaps having time constraints; my academic background meant that I am constantly wanting to investigate and find out more about certain things which however I have no time for.

How has the degree you did at Royal Holloway helped your career?

The degree I did at Royal Holloway helped me develop into the person I am, and allowed me to truly realise the area of Science which I was mostly interested in and excited about. Before my course in Biology at Royal Holloway, I knew very little about what to achieve and what kind of things I wanted to be doing in the future. I’d say my degree was essential; it was the foundation of my career path.

What are your best memories of the degree you did at Royal Holloway?  

The atmosphere and people are definitely what I miss the most; life on campus is extremely exciting and the opportunities to interact with peers and also lecturers are numerous. It is truly an immersive experience which I’ll truly treasure for my entire life. The three years I spent in Egham studying at Royal Holloway were probably some of the best years of my life.

What one piece of advice would you give to people starting out – something you wish you’d known when you were in your very early career?

My one piece of advice is to always believe in yourself and never give up; there were definitely times where I thought I couldn’t make it, where the pressure what so high that I doubted myself and thought that perhaps I wasn’t made for university. Well it is in those occasions that I wish someone would have told me that I am probably the only limitations to what I can do – therefore always believe in yourself and you’ll achieve what you want (provided you genuinely work for it of course!).

What do you think the future holds in your particular area of work or expertise? How could researchers “future-proof” themselves if they are thinking about getting into your area of expertise/industry/research?

I definitely thing bioinformatics is going to be a key element if the future of infectious diseases and diagnostics; we are in an exciting era for science and with the growing amount of next-generation-sequencing data that is being generated, computing and bioinformatics tools will be essential.

Do you have any recommendations for online forums, websites or organisations that would be good sources of information, advice or reference for anybody wishing to get into your area of work or research?

In terms of websites, NCBI has a tremendous amount of free data which could help someone to get some experience with DNA analysis, however in terms of information I would say Google Scholar has lots of papers and journals regarding infectious diseases, I used to read papers on the train, any, to familiarise with what researchers are working on at the moment, but also to become used to reading and writing scientific literature. The CDC website has also some good information of the epidemiology of certain bugs of interest, and if interested in diagnostic techniques then I would recommend the Standards for Microbiology Investigations (UK SMI) which provide useful information specific to certain groups of microbes and detailed protocols.

Beyond your academic work what do you think has been the most worthwhile thing you did that has benefited you in your career or got you into your current job?

I think beyond my academic work, working throughout my studies in retail truly allowed me to realise how it is to work with people as part of a team, interact with colleagues and customers and really build up a set of skills that are not taught in academic life but are truly immensely useful for any person.

What would you do differently if you were starting your career again? 

I am extremely happy with what I have achieved so far, and very happy to be working in this sector; however, if I could start again, I would say I would make the most of interacting and truly finding out what people in the field are doing, talking to as many people as I can and building meaningful relationships and connections which can be tremendously important in this field. What I am trying to say is that if I could go back, I wouldn’t hold back on anything, I would take on as many opportunities that I was given and always make the most of them; some opportunities may only come up once!

What do you wish someone had told you about the sector/job hunting etc? 

I wish people would have told me that it is okay to fail, it is okay to not always make it the first time, but it is far worse to not try. Job hunting can be daunting, and unless you are extremely lucky rejections will be an important part of the process; learn from your failures and don’t allow them to take you down or think any less of yourself.

Name: Alex (or Alexandra) McGoran

Subject: Biological Sciences (BSc Hons), Masters by Research (MSc) and PhD in collaboration with Natural History Museum as part of the London NERC DTP

Graduated: 2015 (BSc), 2016 (MSc) and 2022 (PhD) 

Place of work: BioventusCefas

Position: Chemical analyst/Microplastics Scientist 

What first atttracted you to Royal Holloway?

There were many things that attracted me to Royal Holloway. The location was the first. I liked the closed campus and the proximity to London and my family, but enjoyed it was also far enough away to give me some independence. Because of this I attended an open day and got to speak to several of the students and see the accommodation. The students were all really positive and that made me feel more confident that RHUL was the right place for me. During the interview day I really enjoyed seeing the labs and doing a mini experiment The lecturers were very friendly and passionate and it is really the staff that meant I stayed at RHUL for as long as I did. Everyone in the department was welcoming, supportive, passionate and always had something interesting to tell you. I have to give a special acknowledgement to Prof. Dave Morritt who got me into microplastics and supervised me from my undergraduate research project through to the end of my PhD.

What did Royal Holloway teach you?

RHUL taught me a broad range of topics under biological sciences and this wide scope was very useful for finding out where my passions lie. It has also helped as I can approach challenges from a range of perspectives which is especially helpful from a science policy perspective. Monitoring needs to be aligned between countries and across matrices and often contaminants. And ensuring that the monitoring is useful to answer policy questions means there is no “one way” to design the programme. Being able to consider multiple approaches or a systems-wide approach is incredibly powerful.

I was taught about critical thinking, statistical analysis and project design which are both crucial for strong science. I discovered a passion for marine biology and an interest in ecology. Outside of simply learning about my chosen subject, Royal Holloway taught me to be confident, passionate and how to communicate effectively. I learned team work through group projects and the women’s rugby and lacrosse teams. There are so many things I learnt from RHUL and I am definitely missing loads from this short list.

What's happened in your career?

So far in my career, I have had my data presented to the UK Parliamentary groups, I have been on TV (national and international) and in magazines dissecting seals, I have presented at New Scientist Live in the Excel Centre in London, I’ve spent three months on the Isle of Cumbrae studying plastics, I have organised a conference, I have been on a research vessel, I have studied deep sea fish from the South Atlantic and I have visited South Korea, Ghana, Sri Lanka, Spain and Amsterdam with Cefas.

During my thesis write up I started applying for jobs. These included post-doc positions as well as roles in the commercial sector. After attending an early career researcher event at the Linnean Society I became aware of science roles within the civil service. I applied for two positions at Cefas (Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science – part of the Defra group) and luckily was successful. I have worked at Cefas for three years as a microplastics scientist and lab manager. I lead all biota work and collaborate with other members in the team for water, sediment and atmospheric analysis. My role sees me developing monitoring protocols for the UK and at wider regional levels (such as OSPAR), as well as knowledge sharing with experts around the world. I have helped to set up labs in several countries, including Ghana and Sri Lanka, providing training to international researchers in the process.

Through my PhD, which was based at NHM, I discovered a love for science communication and outreach. I now lead the Marine Litter teams outreach activities, giving careers talks, creating education materials and activities for the public. All the work we deliver at Cefas is reported to Defra who turn the science into policy action.

Name: Rebecca Nohl

Subject: PhD Biological Sciences

Year graduated: 2018

Company name: Government Office for Science

Position: Project Management Lead

What first attracted you to Royal Holloway?

I was looking for a PhD project to embark on after finishing an undergraduate degree specialising in plant molecular biology. I applied to join the Fraser lab at Royal Holloway because I was attracted to its excellent publication record and good links to industrial plant science.

What did Royal Holloway teach you?

I learnt so much during the four years of my PhD; not only analytical biochemistry and molecular biology techniques, but also presentation and project management skills. The lab gave me the opportunity to travel to present my work at international meetings and conferences, and to complete part of the work in an Italian genomics institute. My project was partially funded by the plant biotechnology company Syngenta, which gave me a great insight into industrial science.

The community of the lab I worked in and high level of support I received from my supervisor made the whole degree a really enjoyable experience.

What’s happened in your career?

I now work in the Government Office for Science, which provides scientific advice for policies across government. I work on a wide range of interesting issues cutting across environmental science and rural affairs; it’s an enjoyable job where no two days are the same.

Name: Foram Ashwin Parajiya

Subjects: BSc Biochemistry

Graduated: 2023

Position: Clinical Coder

Place of work: Dyad

What first attracted you to Royal Holloway?

Royal Holloway’s strong reputation in life sciences, combined with its beautiful campus and welcoming community, made it an ideal place to study. The iconic Founder’s Building and green open spaces created an inspiring environment, while the large library with extensive study areas provided excellent learning resources. Being an all-campus university also meant I had the chance to meet a diverse range of people, fostering both academic collaboration and lasting friendships. The combination of academic excellence, modern facilities, and a supportive community made Royal Holloway the perfect place for my undergraduate journey.

What did Royal Holloway teach you?

Royal Holloway provided me with a strong foundation in biochemistry, developing my analytical thinking, problem-solving, and data interpretation skills. Beyond academics, it taught me the importance of adaptability, teamwork, and effective communication. The supportive learning environment and access to excellent resources, such as the well-equipped library and research facilities, helped me grow both academically and personally. My time there also strengthened my ability to manage multiple responsibilities, work independently, and think critically—skills that have been invaluable in my career.

What's happened in your career?

After completing my BSc (Hons) in Biochemistry, I pursued an MSc in Clinical Drug Development at Queen Mary, University of London. I now work as a Clinical Coder at Dyad AI, where I translate medical diagnoses and procedures into standardized codes, ensuring accurate medical records and supporting healthcare analytics. This role allows me to apply my scientific knowledge while developing expertise in medical coding, data analysis, and healthcare informatics. Through this work, I have gained valuable experience in interpreting clinical documentation, maintaining coding compliance, and collaborating with healthcare professionals to improve data accuracy and efficiency.

Name: Priya Sandhu
Subject: BSc Biology 
Graduated: 2020
Place of work: GlaxoSmithKline
Position: Medical and Scientific Affairs Senior Scientist

What first attracted you to Royal Holloway?

Firstly, the campus at Royal Holloway is absolutely breathtaking. During my open day visit, I was warmly welcomed and made to feel at ease by the representatives, which left a lasting impression. The course offerings were particularly appealing, with a wide range of optional modules and state-of-the-art facilities. Additionally, Royal Holloway's stellar reputation, high student ratings, and robust university support were significant factors in my decision to enroll.

What did Royal Holloway teach you?

Royal Holloway provided me with the essential knowledge and skills needed to reach my current position. The university offered a perfect balance of independence and guidance, allowing me to select courses that resonated with my interests. This was made possible by the extensive range of options available, from lab-based and field-based practicals to the application of statistical methods in biological data analysis. These diverse experiences helped me gain a comprehensive understanding of my field and clarified my future direction.

Throughout my three years, I was fortunate to have the unwavering support of my tutor, Dr Rudiger Riesch, who listened to my concerns and provided invaluable guidance. Additionally, my third-year research supervisor, Dr. Marta Perez Fernandez, challenged me to step out of my comfort zone during my research project, enabling me to realize my full potential.

What’s happened in your career?

Graduating during the COVID-19 pandemic was a unique challenge, so I sought to contribute meaningfully by working as a Medicines Practice Coordinator in the NHS, assisting with patient prescriptions. During this period, I reflected on my career goals and decided to further my education by pursuing a Master's in Human Nutrition at the University of Surrey.

Upon completing my master's, I joined GlaxoSmithKline as a Healthcare Professional Consultant. In this role, I communicated the science behind GSK Oral Health products to clinicians and supported dentists with their Continuing Professional Development by delivering scientific presentations on oral health diseases. After 2.5 years, having gained substantial experience and training new starters, I wanted new challenges to push myself out of my comfort zone.

This led me to my current position as a Senior Scientist in the Medical and Scientific Affairs department within Research and Development. In this role, I provide scientific expertise to support the development and approval of medical products, ensuring that research findings are accurately communicated to healthcare professionals and regulatory authorities to improve patient outcomes. Recently, I organized a global webinar that was broadcast to approximately 10,000 clinicians, focusing on the science behind dentine hypersensitivity and improving its diagnosis and management.

Royal Holloway played an enormous role in shaping my career, and I am eternally grateful for the foundation it provided.

Tell us about your current job. What career path led you to it? What does your typical day look like? What are the best and worst parts of your job?

My current job is as a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway. I’m responsible for inspiring our students to learn about and understand ecology and conservation. I want our students to enjoy their degrees and use what they have learnt to allow them to get into their chosen career.

The career path that led me to this job was one that I didn’t plan! I completed a BSc Zoology at Royal Holloway, then went onto an MSc in Wildlife Conservation and Management at the University of Reading. I then saw a really interesting PhD position, applied for it and got it! Once I finished my PhD the perfect job came up at Reading. I worked there for 5 years, before joining Royal Holloway as a Teaching Fellow in 2016. I was ready for a new challenge when I joined RHUL, and I’ve spent the last few years shaping my role so that I am now teaching what I love and hopefully making positive differences to our students.

A typical day doesn’t really exist as my job can be so varied. During term time, my favourite days are when I am out of my office teaching. Otherwise I am normally spending time supervising my research students, in meetings or answering emails. The best part of my job is being out in the field, either doing research, or teaching students important field research skills. The worst part of my job are the days when I feel like I am drowning in emails. It can be hard to keep up sometimes.

How has the degree you did at RHUL helped your career?

My Zoology degree gave me the knowledge and experience needed for a career in science. It exposed me to so many opportunities that I wouldn’t have had otherwise. For example my tutor had contacts with people working in conservation in Africa. He helped me arrange some research experience in one of my summers, and following this I arranged my own final year research project studying bats in the Wye Valley. These were amazing experiences that helped me to pursue further education following my first degree. 

What are your best memories of the degree you did at Royal Holloway? 

The field courses! I went to Millport to study Marine Biology and did a Practical Field Ecology course on campus. I loved these courses the most; they were a great way to bond with my fellow students and I learnt so much more because they were so applied.

What one piece of advice would you give to people starting out – something you wish you’d known when you were in your very early career?

Try everything you can; join a student society, arrange work experience, volunteer in one of the research labs. Lots of people get degrees now, so you need to have something else to talk about in future job interviews, and these are also the best ways to find out what interests you the most. Also, be nice to your Personal Tutor. They have so many contacts and so much experience and they will be the ones writing your references after you graduate, so make sure that they know you!

What do you think the future holds in your particular area of work or expertise? How could researchers “future-proof” themselves if they are thinking about getting into your area of expertise/industry/research?

The best ecologists I know have a great mix of field skills (species identification and sampling skills) and have a good understanding of statistics (specifically using R). If you can combine these skills then you’ll be very employable.

Do you have any recommendations for online forums, websites or organisations that would be good sources of information, advice or reference for anybody wishing to get into your area of work or research?

The British Ecological Society is a fantastic organisation to get involved with if you’re interested in ecology. They run a brilliant conference each year, and are very supportive of early career researchers. They also have grants, and many other opportunities for people to get involved.

Beyond your academic work what do you think has been the most worthwhile thing you did that has benefited you in your career or got you into your current job?

Being proactive and trying new things. As a student I tried out bird ringing with a local ringing group for a year; there were lots of early starts, but it helped my identification skills and looked great on my CV. When I was doing my PhD I set up a local wildlife conservation group, this really helped me network and gain other opportunities.

What would you do differently if you were starting your career again?

I would probably have pushed myself more to network at conferences and other events, it can be uncomfortable (especially if you are in introvert like me), but it’s really important to build collaborations and to build a network of people at different stages of their career.

What do you wish someone had told you about the sector/job hunting etc?

Do not be put off when applying for jobs if you don’t meet all of the criteria, it’s always worth giving it a go, as you don’t know who else will be applying.

Name: Emily Vella
Subject: BSc Biology and MSc by Research
Graduated: 2018 and 2019
Place of work: MRAG
Position: Fisheries Consultant

What first attracted you to Royal Holloway?

I was drawn to Royal Holloway by the welcoming campus and passionate lectures who made biological sciences an inspiring subject. The range of lectures and modules meant I could join broadly focussing on Biology, being unsure where my interests exactly lied. I was able to try different modules, figuring out my interests and passions along the journey of my undergraduate degree, fine-tuning my modules each year.

What did Royal Holloway teach you?

Royal Holloway provided me a with a supportive environment to explore various interests, some that lasted and others that were fleeting. This environment gave me the confidence to step out of my comfort zone and push myself year after year. Beyond technical expertise, Royal Holloway, through its lecturers, tutors, and students, taught me how to succeed, and in this, equipped me with the interdisciplinary tools needed to excel in whichever path I would later wish to pursue.   

What's happened in your career?

Over the course of my degree I discovered a strong interest in aquatic biology. My first job however, was at a terrestrial ecology consultancy firm, where I gained the six months industry experience needed to get my foot in the door. I then took a role as a Fisheries Officer, where I was able to re-align with my passion for marine biology, and it introduced me to the world of fisheries, a field I found really interesting. I learnt about the environmental impact of fisheries on a global scale and the role of sustainable certifications in incentivising and enforcing good fishing practices.

For three years, I assessed fisheries against the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification of sustainability, continuously learning about this evolving industry. A balance of on-site field work and desk-based studies, this career gave me the balance of travel and technical expertise development I was looking for. I felt this was a substantial amount of experience and after three years, I was being drawn to explore new challenges.

I decided to take a break and pursue my personal goal of solo travelling Southeast Asia, before switching careers. When I returned, I was set on joining the consultancy industry, and successfully landed a job as a Fisheries Consultant at MRAG. A year later, I've been able to apply my previous experience to my current role, where I value the multi-faceted perspectives I bring, having worked in the industry from different angles and roles.

My work continues to be on a global scale and varies from developing Fishery Management Plans and collaborating with fishers to improve the sustainability of their operations, to conducting supply chain risk assessments for abandoned or lost gear, and influencing policy. I enjoy contributing to the fisheries industry at multiple levels, whether working more closely with crew and fisheries, to large-scales operations such European Directive policies.