Frazer is pursuing a lab-based career at a research institute

What did you study as an undergraduate (bachelor)?

I studied biological science at the University of Exeter in the UK for my Bachelor’s degree, including a year of study at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. Biology had always been something I felt I wanted to study as I am fascinated by the natural world, and the Bachelor’s programme I chose offered a broad range of topics within the umbrella of biology to explore.

Why did you choose the Master programme in Toxicology?

During the final year of my Bachelor’s degree, I took a course in ecotoxicology which really gave me an interest in the world of toxicology. Whilst this background focused on toxicology in the environment and terrestrial/aquatic ecosystems, I decided to apply to the ToxMaster as I wanted to gain experience in more aspects within the subject, particularly human toxicology and risk assessment.

Where did you conduct your MSc thesis and what was it about?

I conducted my Master’s thesis in the CVRM (Cardiovascular, Renal, Metabolism) Safety group at AstraZeneca in Göteborg. The aim of the thesis was to develop an in vitro model of insulin secreting pancreatic β-cells for toxicity assessment.

How did the Bergendorff summer internship support your research training? 

The Bergendorff internship gave me the opportunity to improve my laboratory and cell culture skills within toxicology, something which both complemented the ToxMaster education, and helped me in my Master’s thesis and work following graduation. This laboratory experience gave me the skills and knowledge required to start a lab-based career after completing the ToxMaster program.

Looking back on your time at KI and the Master programme in Toxicology, what is the most valuable thing that you learned?

From a career perspective, the most valuable thing would probably be the knowledge of target organ toxicology and the effects which toxicants can have on different systems in the body. This, combined with the laboratory experience from the Bergendorff scholarship has proved vital for me in my employment following graduation.

From a more “soft skills” perspective, I would say that the focus on group-working in the ToxMaster has been important for boosting my ability to work effectively in a team environment and has made me more comfortable in presenting my work to others.

Where are you and what are you doing now?

I am currently working as a Research Engineer at the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology. My work focusses on using a range of in vitro cell based models for toxicity testing. 

What made you decide on this career?

I decided on this career as I really enjoyed applying the knowledge from the ToxMaster in the laboratory and wanted to continue learning about different mechanisms of toxicity and in vitro models. A big factor for my decision to pursue a lab-based career was the “hands on” nature of lab work and the opportunities to contribute to the field by developing new models for toxicity testing.