Meet our new alumni: Graduation Day 2019

Eleanor Frost (left) and Kyriaki-Alkisti Stavropoulou (right), BSc Physics and Medical Physics

What are you going on to do next?
Eleanor: I’m in the process of applying for graduate Medicine programmes, and I’m going to be working in a lab next year, doing microbiology experiments for the International Space Station.
Alkisti: I’m coming back to UCL, to do a Masters Research degree and a PhD in Medical Image Computing.
What do you think was the most important thing or skill that you learned during your BSc degree?
Eleanor: I think it was how to study and how to get the best out of myself. So, revising — but also how I learned best, and applying that to my future life.
Alkisti: For me, I think it definitely was how to ask people for help, how to communicate with other people in the department, and stay connected in order to get the best opportunities for myself.
If you had to describe your BSc programme in one word, what would it be?
Eleanor: Varied.
Alkisti: Interesting!

James Masterson, MEng Biomedical Engineering

What was the most important thing you learned?
The most important thing I would say is transferrable skills like problem-solving; analysing and taking things step-by-step until you come to a solution.
Do you know what you’re doing next?
Yes – I’ve started working at a biotechnology company, developing a minimally invasive sensor for athletes to track glucose and lactic acid in the body, and then using AI algorithms to produce bespoke training insights and diet-training maintenance.
How would you describe the degree and your department?
Honestly, they’re great. I had a really good time at UCL, and the staff are very supportive.

Madeline Lok (left) and Marina Melero Bernal (right), MEng Biomedical Engineering

Do you know what you’re doing next?
Madeline: I’m currently working, and have started out as a clinical trials coordinator.
Marina: Actually, I’ve been dancing professionally on the side during my degree, so now I’m taking some time to do auditions and train more — and later on, I’ll be applying for jobs.
What do you think was the most important thing you learned during your degrees?
Marina: I think how to collaborate with people and how to get things done when, sometimes, you don’t even know where to start but you manage to figure out a way in many different situations; so, mainly problem-solving, and collaborating with people.
If you had to describe the programme in one word, what would it be?
Marina: Challenging!
Madeline: Holistic.

Nonpawith Phoommanee, BEng Biomedical Engineering

What was the most important thing you learned in your degree?
I learned how to collaborate with my friends, and work in teams. We tend to work independently, so it shaped me into a better person and guided me to who my working partners were.
Do you know what you’re doing next?
I got a scholarship to do my Master’s degree in the same field, at Imperial College.
If you had to choose one word to describe the degree and this department, what would it be?
Excellent!

Lucia Albelda Gimeno, MEng Biomedical Engineering with a year abroad in Chicago, USA

What do you think was the most important thing you learned in your degree?
I think it would be learning how to work with others and how to make the most of other people’s skills along with your own skills.
What are you going on to next?
I’m currently working in West London as a project manager in a medical technology company.
If you had to pick one word to describe your degree, what would it be?
Challenging. Challenging would be the word.

Jakub Zalesak, BSc Physics with Medical Physics

What's next for you? 
I am working as a research assistant at UCL with Peter Munro at the Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering.
What was the most important lesson or skill you learned in your degree?
I believe that the most important skill I've learned during my degree was a systematic and rigorous approach to labwork and the understanding that how interpretation of data from an experiment makes it useful. A large thank you goes to the undergraduate lab team from the department of physics, who taught me many valuable skills and allowed this change of mindset.