Getting to know – Yusra Ahmed

In this week’s blog we are continuing to introduce the team. This week it is the turn of our newest member Yusra Ahmed.

What is your current role? PhD student (1st year)

What does it involve?  A PhD can involve a range of different roles other than carrying out your own research, this includes teaching, presenting and attending seminars.

What are the biggest challenges? Sometimes when things don’t work out the way you hoped can feel a bit challenging, this often happens in the field of research. However, the important thing is to learn from your mistakes.

What is the most fun thing you and your work colleagues do? Pre-Covid, we would often go out for lunch together and informally discuss each others research, what went wrong as well as suggest on ways to improve.

Where are you from? Bristol, England

How did you end up doing what you do? From studying science subjects at GCSE and A Levels and then finally taking up a degree in Chemistry, I realised I really enjoyed the world of research/science. After advice from teachers, family and friends I finally chose this as career.

What’s the best thing about your work? When a project you’ve been working on for months finally shows promising results is possibly one of the best things out there. The feeling of synthesising a new compound and discovering the unknown is very valuable.

What attracted you to engineering? Having done a year-long project on electrochromic smart materials in Canada and learning about the great applications that these materials can have definitely highlighted the important roles that STEM projects play and the effect they have on worldly issues.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work? I enjoy staying active, baking and generally spending the free time I have with family and friends.

Was there a particular moment or person that inspired you in your career path? My PhD mentor in Canada left a huge impact on the way I perceived my work and research, having seen her dedication and determination towards her work definitely inspired me. 

What has your job taught you? What skills have you developed? I have acquired many different skills over the past few years, some of the most important transferrable skills being team-working, communication, and presentational skills.

What advice would you give to someone wanting to do something similar? Make sure that you are absolutely sure that this is what you want to do with your time for the next 3 years, additionally ensure that you’re doing a PhD for all the right reasons. It is also very important to research the topic/research area that you will be focusing on and look into where this can get you after your PhD.