Skip to main navigationSkip to main content
The University of Southampton
Medicine

Amy Jones Part-time PhD in Human Genetics, 2010

Post-doctoral research fellow at the Wessex Regional Genetics Laboratory at Salisbury District Hospital

Amy Jones's Photo

Hi, I'm Amy Jones and I studied Part-time PhD in Human Genetics within Medicine at the University of Southampton.

I hope that eventually my research will help us understand why some people may be predisposed to developing cancer.

I became interested in developing my knowledge of human genetics whilst working as a research assistant at the Wessex Regional Genetics Laboratory.

When the opportunity arose I decided to build on my knowledge in this area by applying for a Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research-funded PhD at the University of Southampton.

Studying part-time at Southampton enabled me to undertake my PhD research as part of my full-time job.  This meant that my research was conducted solely at the genetics laboratory in Salisbury.

PhD project involved investigating the development of a group of blood disorders called Myeloproliferative Neoplasms and a particular mutation that commonly occurs in people with the disease.

During my research I made some interesting discoveries.  One of these showed a link between a person's DNA and their susceptibility to developing the bone marrow disease.

It is these discoveries that I am now taking forward in my new role as a post-doctoral research fellow in the Wessex Regional Genetics Laboratory.   I have acquired further funding so that I can continue looking into how this genetic variant contributes to a person's risk of developing the disease.

I hope that eventually my research will help us understand why some people may be predisposed to developing cancer.

My PhD took six years to complete and I was very fortunate because I generally worked normal hours, with few weekends in the lab.

Studying for a PhD can be stressful at times, but is manageable with careful planning.  You need to be able to combine organising experiments with reading scientific papers, writing up your research and attending conferences.

Creating this balance is all part of what is expected as a PhD student and my supervisors helped me with this.  They ensured we had regular contact and they gave me lots of support and guidance throughout my course.

Share this profile Share this on Facebook Share this on Twitter Share this on Weibo
Privacy Settings