International honour for Southampton Chemistry graduate
Chemistry graduate Adam Hedger has been recognised for the quality of his dissertation into the metabolic labelling of DNA replication in the Undergraduate Awards. His work was highly commended and ranks in the top 10 per cent of submissions from students around the world.
As part of the prize, he presented his work at a three day summit in Dublin, alongside other talented scholars, and heard inspirational talks from prominent scientists and other leading figures including forensic anthropologist Professor Dame Sue Black and Chris Lubbe, Nelson Mandela’s former bodyguard. Adam’s dissertation covered new techniques for labelling DNA as it forms two copies during cell division. “I enjoyed the opportunity to meet early career researchers and experienced academics in Ireland and talk about our work,” he says.
Earlier in Adam’s Masters of Chemistry (MChem) degree, he spent six months on a placement at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. He worked with Dr Jonathan Watts’s team developing new methods for metabolic DNA labelling using nucleotide prodrugs. “It was a life-changing experience to work in a laboratory at the forefront of clinical drug design into diseases such as brain cancer and asthma. You feel you’re really making a difference and I now know I want to stay in research,” he says. The results from Adam’s research in New England are about to be published and he hopes the paper will help him secure a good PhD opportunity.
The Undergraduate Awards recognise originality, innovation and excellence and connect students across cultures and disciplines.
Until I went on my placement to the University of Massachusetts Medical School I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do as a career, now I know for sure that I want to do a PhD and stay in research