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Sussex undergraduate to present her research at prestigious conference
Posted on behalf of: School of Psychology
Last updated: Thursday, 4 April 2013
During the summer vacation of 2012, Sussex Psychology undergraduate Florence Mowlem carried out research under the supervision of Dr Ayana Gibbs, a forensic psychiatrist at the Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS).
And now Florence, a final-year student, is preparing to present her research at the British Psychology Society’s (BPS) annual conference this month.
On Tuesday (9 April), during the BPS conference in Harrogate, Florence will give a poster presentation on ‘Genetic variation and the effect of medicines on thinking processes’.
She says: “I am slightly nervous to be presenting my poster at a conference attended by so many intelligent, inspiring and influential people, as I am just an undergraduate!
“But I am also excited to gain more insight into academia, and see what other research is being conducted.”
Florence will also be presenting her findings at the British Conference for Undergraduate Research (BCUR) in Plymouth, the following week.
She’s had some practice already: her poster formed part of an exhibition on campus last year, alongside presentations by 21 other Sussex students who – like Florence – spent the summer of 2012 doing academic research, with the support of a £1,800 bursary from the Doctoral School’s competitive Junior Research Associate (JRA) scheme.
After the summer, Florence continued working on her research project with Dr Gibbs until February 2013, when testing finished.
And a further reward for her efforts is being listed as a co-author of an article in the latest issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry.
Looking back now, she says: “I think the JRA scheme is a great way to gain research experience outside the degree programme, and to refine the skills learnt through the first and second years. I really enjoyed becoming involved in the research community at Sussex.
“It was incredibly fulfilling at both an academic and personal level and it really confirmed that I want to go on to a complete a PhD and pursue a career in academia.
“In addition, it gave me confidence when carrying out my third-year research project.”
If you’re an undergraduate at Sussex and you’d like to get a taste of academic research this summer, you’ll have to act fast: the deadline for 2013 applications is 3 May.