“Be confident to demonstrate your skills and abilities, and show what you’re made of!”
In our series #WomeninScience, we will hear from the female scientific staff working on fastMOT, telling us about their roles in our project and their experiences of finding their career in science.
Meet our third guest, Xingmin Li, MRes+PhD student at University College London.
Please tell us about yourself. What are you working on in fastMOT?
Hi, I’m Xingmin Li. I am a first year MRes+PhD student supervised by Prof. Ilias Tachtsidis and Dr. Frederic Lange at University College London (UCL) in the department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering.
My work focuses on fastMOT’s Work Package 3, which is led by UCL. Here, we use computational methods to implement light diffusion simulations and brain tissue physiological modelling in order to develop strategies for deep brain tissue imaging.
How did you find out what your path was after school?
My journey into the world of medical technology began at UCL, where I earned my bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering in the summer of 2023. After that, I entered CEPS CDT, a four years PhD programme jointly held by UCL and University of Cambridge. Before I matriculated into this programme, Prof. Tachtsidis was hiring new PhD students for fastMOT in the CDT centre. I was immediately drawn to the project for its innovative research in medical imaging—a field I had been eager to delve into. After the interview, I was thrilled to join the fastMOT project as my four years PhD project.
It took me quite an amount of time to discover my own interests and identify my strengths.
What would you recommend young talents about to step into working life?
Many students may have a sense of uncertainty about their future, leading to significant confusion over their career path. I can personally relate to this emotion as I too felt similarly perplexed when I was a newly enrolled undergraduate student.
It took me quite an amount of time to discover my own interests and identify my strengths. I have actively engaged in many internships during my undergraduate studies, including roles in medical equipment sales, medical consulting, and medical imaging research. During my internships, I acquired knowledge about the details of these jobs and discovered a greater interest in doing research in the field of medical imaging.
That is why I highly propose trying to consider taking several internships prior to completing your education. This may allow you to explore more opportunities and choose which ones align best with your interests and abilities.
Can you share a specific experience that made you grow?
My undergraduate experience at UCL plays a vital role in making me grow. Studying at UCL is not easy, but it strengthens my conviction in researching at medical imaging, and also builds up solid knowledge and skills foundation in the field of medical imaging.
Meanwhile, as an international student who first left her home country and began to live independently, I need to solve many problems alone. Fortunately, UCL offered me much assistance. Throughout this process, I experienced a steady maturation, and I acquired the capacity to independently acquire knowledge, think critically, and lead a self-dependent lifestyle.
Maintaining a healthy balance between life and work is crucial. After a trip, I always recharge and rejuvenate. At times, relaxing may stimulate your brain, increase your energy, get rid of bad feelings, and generate new thoughts!
What has been your most important learning in your life?
Study/work hard, play hard. This is one of the arguments I have learned from my senior high school. Maintaining a healthy balance between life and work is crucial. After a trip, I always recharge and rejuvenate. At times, relaxing may stimulate your brain, increase your energy, get rid of bad feelings, and generate new thoughts!
Your advice to women and girls in science?
As a young student who has just started her research, I can’t claim that I have a lot of experience, but I would like to suggest that all women and girls should be confident in themselves and avoid self-doubt and self-neglect. Being confident makes you feel good about yourself and may also give you the bravery to take on difficulties and try new things.
The balance between men and women in research is improving daily, and respect for female scientists is currently much higher than it was a few years ago. I think we don’t need to worry about the little things that your gender will make you receive the short end of the stick. Therefore, be confident to demonstrate your skills and abilities to the people in the lab, or any other place where you do scientific research, and show what you’re made of!
Thank you for the interview, Xingmin!
Subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter to learn more about our work at fastMOT and the team behind it, and stay updated on our advances!
