Early Academics in Sciences – Roundtable
What is life like as an early-career academic in medicine and health research? And how do you turn an interest in research into a career after university?
Join us for an informal roundtable conversation with a diverse group of early-career academics working across medicine, public health, epidemiology, genetics, clinical practice and biomedical research. Our speakers have taken a range of routes into research and are now working on questions ranging from reproductive health and genetics to healthcare economics, palliative care and the gut-lung-brain axis.
The session will offer students the opportunity to hear first-hand about what research life is really like beyond university: how to find your way into academia, what a PhD and postdoctoral career involve, how research connects with clinical practice and wider healthcare, and what it takes to build a career in an increasingly interdisciplinary field.
There will be plenty of opportunity to ask questions and speak directly with the academics about their experiences, career paths, challenges and advice for those considering research themselves.
Our guest speakers:
Dr Ana Luiza Arruda
Biography
Ana's research at the MRC Epidemiology Unit focuses on the genetics of menopause and ovarian ageing, aiming to uncover the biological mechanisms that influence reproductive health across the lifespan. Her broader interests include advancing health equity, preventive medicine, and the potential of drug repurposing to address complex diseases.
Ana holds a BSc in Engineering Science (2017) and an MSc in Applied Mathematics (2020), both from the Technical University of Munich. She completed her PhD at the Institute of Translational Genomics, Helmholtz Munich, in 2024 under the supervision of Professor Eleftheria Zeggini. Her doctoral research investigated the shared genetic etiology underlying complex traits, with a particular emphasis on the genetic factors contributing to multiple type 2 diabetes comorbidities. She is an active member of the Type 2 Diabetes Global Genomics Initiative (T2DGGI) and the Genetics of Osteoarthritis (GO) consortia.
Department link
https://www.mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk/
Dr Laura Lim Huey Mien
Biography
Laura conducts health economies research in the Cardiovascular Epidemiology Unit based within the Department of Public Health and Primary Care at the University of Cambridge. She obtained a PhD in Public Health from the National University of Singapore, and her PhD works primarily aimed to evaluate the long-term economic burden of multi-morbidity in the asthma and COPD population. Currently, Laura is developing a microsimulation model to assess the cost-effectiveness and equity impacts of new interventions and policies in heart transplantation in the UK.
Dr Ben Bowers
Biography
Ben is an internationally recognised clinical academic community nurse specialising in end-of-life care. He is an Honorary Nurse Consultant in Palliative Care and Co-Theme Lead for NIHR ARC East of England’s Palliative and End of Life Care theme. His interdisciplinary work spans research, clinical practice and leadership, with a focus on improving care for people dying at home and supporting their families.
In 2023, Ben was announced as one of the 75 nurses and midwives whose work has had an especially significant impact on the NHS since its creation. He was awarded the RCGP & SAPC Outstanding Early Career Researcher in 2024 and the European Association for Palliative Care Early Researcher Award 2023, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to international palliative care and primary care research. Ben is a Fellow of the Queen’s Institute of Community Nursing, and an Honorary Associate Professor with the University of Nottingham.
Ben leads a programme of interdisciplinary research focused on improving care of the dying at home. Ben’s Wellcome Early Career Award research is investigating the human and system factors involved in the safe, effective and timely use of injectable symptom control medications. This research draws on social science, engineering design and patient safety disciplines. Ben is also researching the provision of person-centred end-of-life care in increasingly resource constrained community healthcare systems.
Ben works with colleagues across the UK to translate research findings into clinical practice and build research capacity in community healthcare. Ben is supporting several early-career researchers, across disciplines, and is passionate about the value of interdisciplinary research and public engagement.
Dr Ntombizodwa Makuyana
Biography
Ntombizodwa Makuyana is a postdoctoral research fellow at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology (MRC-LMB), where she studies the gut-lung-brain axis. She previously completed her PhD at the Pathology Department and Babraham Institute at the University of Cambridge, focusing on respiratory responses to pathogens such as influenza.
In addition to her research career, Ntombizodwa is passionate about women's empowerment and actively leads several projects aimed at providing quality education and support to young girls in Africa, helping to close the aspiration gap that prevents them from reaching their full potential.
Dr Valentina Lorenzi
Valentina completed her PhD at EMBL-EBI, the Wellcome Sanger Institute, and the University of Cambridge, where she generated a computational atlas of the developing human reproductive system by integrating multimodal single-cell and spatial genomics datasets. Her work was recognised with the Beddington Medal, awarded by the British Society for Developmental Biology for the best PhD thesis. Alongside her research, Valentina is actively involved in advocacy, education, and community building in women’s health. She led the creation of Pelvic Matters, a gynaecological health awareness zine, and co-organised the inaugural Women’s Health Research and Innovation Leadership (WHIRL) Summer School, an interdisciplinary programme bringing together researchers, clinicians, entrepreneurs, and policymakers to tackle the most pressing challenges in women’s health.