How Genomics Shaped My Academic Journey at QMUL
Studying Medical Genetics started Batool Mahmoud’s path into exploring Genetics through academic and research means. During her time at QMUL, Batool’s interests and understanding of genetics and its analysis. She hopes she can further apply her learning at a PhD level.
Genomics is a dynamic and continually evolving field in science dedicated to answering questions about how our genes influence our health and susceptibility to a variety of conditions and diseases. QMUL’s dedication to research and innovation made it an ideal environment to pursue this interest. As such choosing to study Medical Genetics as a BSc allowed me to explore genomic principles, such as population genetics and the ethical considerations surrounding genomic research and their usage in clinical applications.
The flexibility of this programme helped me to tailor my degree to key areas that emphasised these genomic approaches, such as genes and bioinformatics, functional epigenetics and basic immunology. This further broadened my understanding of how genomics can be utilised to drive research into disease diagnosis and personalised medicine. As well as teaching modules, QMUL’s investment and strong focus on laboratory training also facilitated my learning and helped develop essential genomic lab skills. My undergraduate dissertation saw me employ the use of Next-Generation Sequencing techniques such as Nanopore to sequence the genetic information of single-celled protists. This experience exposed me to genome assembly, sequence analysis and introduced me to the challenges working with high-throughput sequence data.
The combined approach to both teaching academic and laboratory skills at QMUL provided enough experience and curiosity for me to further pursue a Bioinformatics MSc, also at QMUL, where I also explored genomics from a computational perspective. During this time, I strengthened my ability to manage and analyse large genome sequences using High-performance computing as well as applying exploratory and inferential analysis of biological datasets often involved with genetic diseases and disorders using programming languages such as Python and R. In conjunction, my MSc dissertation further deepened my genomics focus, as I examined the impacts of gene duplication events in Drosophila odorant receptors and how they subsequently affect their function. This project involved the understanding and use of phylogenetics, sequence alignment and structural interpretations of odorant receptor functionality. All of which compounded my interest in genome evolution and adaptation and how genomics can be used to research these areas.
Overall, my academic journey at QMUL has developed both my technical and intellectual independence. The combination of theoretical studies, laboratory research and computation analysis that is facilitated by the exceptional learning environment at QMUL has solidified my interests in the intersection of genomics and evolution and has prepared me to pursue doctoral research with confidence and purpose.
Batool Mahmoud, BSc Medical Genetics & MSc Bioinformatics
Find out more about our BSc Medical Genetics Programme
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