Black researchers shaping the future

I remember the exact day that I decided to become a cancer researcher. It was in a hospital in 2011 when a very close friend of mine passed away from an aggressive form of cancer.

I was fresh out of sixth form college with no idea how to become a cancer researcher or what a career in academia entailed. Although I knew nothing about cancer academically, emotionally I felt like I knew everything I could know.

Eight years later, that experience still drives me as I enter the final year of my PhD. Within that is a desire to help people, take opportunities as they come, challenge myself intellectually along the way and continue to diversify my skills.

My research focuses on molecules called ‘glycans’, which are found on the surface of tumour cells. These appear in different patterns depending on the aggressiveness of the cancer. If we can catch a glimpse of these on an MRI scan, we can work out how the cancer might behave and therefore what we need to do to help the patient.

The practical side of my research involves me growing prostate and breast cells from normal and cancerous tissue, pulling apart the cells, and studying the characteristics which the cancer cell has gained to make it so aggressive and dangerous.

I use a variety of techniques to do this, all of which I conduct in labs at the CRUK Cambridge Institute on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus. I also work with researchers in the Department of Biochemistry in the city centre and spend some time there too.

I once showed a local cancer support group what breast cancer cells look like up close under a microscope and explained the importance of high quality imaging machines in studying cancer. After my talk, a lady came back and asked: "How many races do I have to run to get you another microscope to allow you to further your research?”

Vast donations are made to charities such as Cancer Research UK, who subsequently fund researchers like me. So I feel a real responsibility to share our work with the public and show that scientists in the lab, and people running CRUK’s Race for Life, for example, are equally important in our efforts to beating cancer.

Black History Month is more than a time to celebrate famous black pioneers. Many of our parents moved to the UK from African and Caribbean countries, got jobs, put their hands to work, started businesses, sent us to school, and now many of us are strong members of society.

This is all part of black history. It’s a time to wear your cultural attire, cook food from your country of heritage and share it with all races. I love to attend Black History Month events and see people of all races attending, celebrating our history together.

I’m helping to transform the provision of clean and cost-effective energy alternatives in Africa and other parts of the world where sunlight is abundant.

Converting sunlight into a storable and clean energy resource would not only allow the majority of Africa’s energy needs to be met, it would also reduce health risks posed by hazardous fuels.

My research focuses on the development of materials with the ability to convert sunlight into hydrogen. These materials are known as monolithic metal-organic frameworks and they offer various advantages such as high thermal and mechanical stability as well as high surface area and porosity which are key in the sunlight-to-chemical-energy conversion process.

In the future, I would like use my lab work as a foundation to start up practical and implementable energy resource projects. My passion is to reach out to marginalised communities as well as resuscitate some industries that have been negatively impacted by high energy costs.

I hope my research will make a significant contribution to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 7, which is to ‘ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all’.

I work in the Department of Chemistry most days of the week. I carry out experiments on synthesis of materials as well as characterisation and general research work on my computer. I work mainly with PXRD, TGA and FTIR spectroscopy techniques. I occasionally work at the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology where my co-supervisor is based.

Cambridge is a science hub full of greatness. Walking in the footsteps of Isaac Newton, Alan Turing and Stephen Hawking gives me confidence to pursue a PhD here. I also have a very supportive network that includes my supervisor, academic mentor, fellow research group mates and endless resources to help me through the challenges in my research.

Being on the Gates-Cambridge scholarship has been a blessing because of the rich network provided by the other scholars. I have joined amazing people in projects which they have started, such as Promoting Girls in STEM, a programme which inspires eight to twelve-year-old girls to be more enthusiastic about taking up science subjects. 

For me, Black History Month at Cambridge is a reminder that we too are Cambridge. I’ve been inspired to learn about alumni like myself, in particular the international businesswoman Winnie Muriithi, who completed her PhD in Chemistry here.

Last year, I was part of the organizing committee of the Africa Together conference in Cambridge. As a moderator for the Women Empowerment Panel, I met incredible leaders such as Dr Amani Abou-Zeid, Professor Mthuli Ncube and Lucy Quist – it was such an honour to interact with them.

Africa has made tremendous advances in widening access to education but learning outcomes have been low, especially for students who are disadvantaged due to poverty and disability. To address the learning crisis, we need to make better use of research conducted in Africa that takes account of local context.

I come from Ghana, where I did my undergraduate and masters degrees, before completing my PhD in New Zealand.

I’m currently mapping research about education in Africa conducted by researchers, institutes and networks in sub-Saharan Africa. At the moment, it’s difficult to find this research mainly because it’s scattered across several outlets, which restricts its visibility and use.

By developing a common platform online, I will make it easier for researchers and other stakeholders to access this valuable knowledge and help identify areas for further research. In doing so, we can better inform African education policy and practice, as well as global debate on these issues.

Very broadly, I’m interested in why students undertake a university qualification but within this, I have examined the role that parents and teachers play in students’ learning.

My supervisors and colleagues show great interest in my professional development and I’ve gained so many opportunities. I have benefited from Cambridge’s national and global standing – my reputation as an early career researcher has increased considerably since I joined the University.  

Black History Month is an opportunity to learn about the tremendous contribution of black people to humanity and to inspire the current generation to achieve excellence. 

The NHS and other health systems in the developed world have made great progress in health technology and diagnostics. But if you have excellent clinicians, medication and technology in a badly designed system, patients are likely to have bad experiences. 

I seek a better understanding of how healthcare delivery services operate as a system and then work out how to design them effectively using an engineering systems approach.

I arrived in England in 2002 to do my Master’s degree in Advanced Manufacturing Systems in London. I had a passion for mechanical engineering design but in one lecture I heard Dr Ali Mousavi declare that “Systems Engineers should run the government. We should make the big decisions”. I was taken aback and by the end of the day, I had said goodbye to mechanical engineering and embraced systems engineering.

My PhD, in part, looked at ways of improving patient experience of care delivery without compromising the experience of staff. I used queuing theory to demonstrate how a focus on improving patient experience can impact on staff and proposed a model for understanding the trade-offs.

Moving to Cambridge has added another dimension to my interest in systems. I now see design, as an approach to solving problems, as fundamental to systems that consistently delivery good value to the end users, including in healthcare. To improve patient experience, we need to design better delivery systems.

During the early phases of projects I spend time with patients in focus groups exploring their experiences of the care delivery systems they have used. I also interview doctors, nurses and managers in the NHS to explore their experiences of providing care in the system. This can be a very powerful, challenging and motivating experience.

I’m normally based in the Engineering Department with the Cambridge Engineering Design Centre. While others seek to “transport” what works in engineering into healthcare, our approach is to translate what works in engineering into healthcare, learning from clinicians whilst challenging the status quo. 

This year, I also became a postdoctoral interdisciplinary fellow of The Healthcare Improvement Study Institute, so I’m now also working on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus.

I think Black History Month is important. A true achievement for society would be to see a colourless future based on a deep reflection on, and appreciation of, the past.