Alumni Spotlight: Lara Carter - BSc Biology 2022

7 November 2025

What inspired you to study Biology at Queen Mary?

I’ve always been a bit indecisive, so choosing a university course was, as you might imagine, quite the challenge! My decision to study Biology actually began with a trip to South Africa when I was 16, where I volunteered on a game reserve due to my lifelong love of animals. By chance, I had brought along a copy of Darwin’s “On the Origin of Species”, and between the wildlife around me and Darwin’s words, something just clicked. I became fascinated by genetics, evolution, and animal behaviour, how similar animals are to us, and what really makes their brains tick. From that point on, I knew I wanted to spend my time exploring those questions. 
 
True to form, my indecision didn’t stop there, I only really made up my mind about where to study on results day! I picked Queen Mary, never having been to an open day (yes, I was that person). But it turned out to be one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, my time at QM was incredible, and it ended up shaping so much of who I am today.

Can you share some highlights from your time at Queen Mary?

There were so many highlights from my time at Queen Mary! Academically, I absolutely loved the modules. In first year, I really enjoyed biochemistry, which was quite funny, since I’d always struggled with chemistry at school, but the way it was taught at QM made it click for me. In second year, genetics became a real passion. I loved diving into the details of how genes influence phenotypes, how they cause illnesses, and how they evolve over time. I also really enjoyed diving into topics such as the origins of language, animal behaviour, neuroscience, pretty much everything! 
The field trips were unforgettable too, our visits to Richmond Park and London Zoo, where we carried out observational studies on deer and (in my case) lions, were such a fun and memorable way to learn. 
 
Even when things were disrupted by COVID, I really enjoyed the first-year lab sessions and the hands-on nature of the course. My dissertation project was another highlight, I did it over the summer between my second and third year and getting to immerse myself in full-time research was the moment I realised I wanted to keep going in science. 
 
Aside from academia, I made incredible friends and had so much fun, from nights out and house parties, to late nights in the library, and of course, the occasional post-9am lecture breakfast at the Half Moon. It was such a vibrant, supportive environment, and I feel so grateful to not even be able to choose singular events as highlights - there are just too many!

What was your favourite thing about Queen Mary?

If I had to choose only one favourite thing about Queen Mary it would be impossible. The people, of course, were marvellous, a lot of whom have remained my best friends to this day - not only from my BSc Biology cohort but from History, Computer Science and many others. Additionally, I have to thank QM for allowing me to meet my wonderful boyfriend (a fellow Queen Mary alumnus) whom I now live with, along with our gorgeous chihuahua Bella! I loved my teachers and fondly remember lectures and seminars. My personal tutor Dr Axel Rossberg was tremendous and my dissertation supervisor Dr Diego Villar-Lozano at the Blizard. My experience during my dissertation really encouraged me to pursue research professionally and opened up a whole new world of bioinformatics, genetics and stem cell research which informed my later years. Working with him and Dr Stephanie Frost was genuinely a life-path-altering experience in the best way!

Finally, what are you up to now? And how did your time here help shape your career path up to this point?

Following my graduation from Queen Mary, I pursued an MSc in Experimental Pharmacology and Therapeutics at UCL, where I specialised in stem cell-based therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases. After completing the programme, I continued to work in this field through an extension of my MSc project while simultaneously beginning my PhD at the UKRI Centre for Doctoral Training in Artificial Intelligence-Enabled Healthcare Systems. 

Now in the second year of my PhD, my research focuses on developing Natural Language Processing algorithms for pharmacology. Alongside my research, I teach Entrepreneurship and AI Technologies for Digital Health at the UCL Global Business School for Health, having earned my Associate Teaching Fellowship last year. 
 
I also regularly give talks at events to share my journey and encourage young women to pursue STEM at university. My time at Queen Mary played a pivotal role in shaping my career, not only by equipping me with essential scientific and practical skills, but also by building my confidence, both as a researcher and as an individual. The support and inspiration I received from the academics I worked with there continue to guide me today.