Maria Fabiola Leyva-Mendvil MSc AMES Bioengineering

PhD/MPil Engineering Sciences

Hi, I'm Maria Fabiola Leyva-Mendvil and I studied MSc AMES Bioengineering within Engineering and the Environment at the University of Southampton.

My lectures have guided me through my research

What made you decide to take the course?

I realized about the importance and need of research

Why did you choose to come to Southampton?

It had the programme I liked the most for Bioengineering

What have you enjoyed most about your course?

Realising that you can make a change with your research and the multicultural environment

What are your lecturers and tutors like? Have you found them supportive?

Yes, they have guided me through my research

What are the teaching facilities like here?

In the lecture rooms all the tools required for the teaching process are provided, some rooms have more tools than others. If something fails there is a team you can call to fix the problem.

What do you think of the other facilities on campus?

They are very appropriate in general for the wellbeing of the students. They are usually kept clean and nice. Facilities as the gym and bars provide other ways to keep the student’s health as they provide a place to release stress. The student union provides rooms equipped for other different activities as dancing lessons, martial arts, indoors sports, among others, available for recreation of the students. The available facilities on campus are built considering a kind of holistic development of the student.

Have you undertaken a project as part of your course?

I’m doing a research project as part of my course.

If yes what did you have to do and have you enjoyed it?

It’s the development of a computational model within the Bioengineering and Tribology research groups. It also includes the testing of the materials involved. It’s been an intensive experience, with both frustrating and rewarding moments (it is part of the process, isn’t it?).

How do you think your project will help you in your future career?

Yes, computational models are quite useful in order to reduce experimental costs. However, you always need experimental data to validate your model. These are tools that I find really useful in my career. Also, the experience of interacting with other people in the research process, presenting my research, and realising of the funding opportunities provide good tools for the future.

What are your career plans after you’ve completed the course?

Work with a local university in my country implementing research in the biomedical engineering field.