I’m Rose and I am currently in my final year of studying Developmental & Educational Psychology at the University of Chichester. I am interested in paediatric epilepsy and am aiming to complete a master’s in paediatric neuropsychology. I am hoping to focus on benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes, temporal epilepsy, and the outcomes of surgeries for paediatric epilepsy patients.
During my placement my main responsibilities were in helping build the Researcher Directory, alongside doing other smaller projects. One project I found particularly rewarding was scoping pre-clinical databases. It was interesting finding what resources are already available and where the gaps are.
This project helped the Research team and Neurodevelopmental Theme Leads to think about what a preclinical database could look like and how it could function. I have a background in handling databases of large information and an interest in pre-clinical trials, so it was perfect for me. It developed my understanding of preclinical trials, all the different models used and how they contribute to epilepsy research.
The placement also helped to shape my understanding of how grant rounds work through speaking to the people involved. In addition, I got the unique opportunity to hear what the Theme Leads are interested in focusing on. Seeing what the current landscape of epilepsy research looks like from their perspective was fascinating.
The placement has been incredibly insightful, and I am extremely grateful for the opportunity the Institute has given me. I will be taking all I have learnt into my academic and professional career!
