The Michael Lawrence Scholarship supports Biosciences PhD student

PhD student, Clara Rodriguez, received support from the Michael Lawrence Scholarship to study her PhD in Biosciences looking at the biology of plant infection by Magnaporthe oryzae with Nick Talbot’s, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Impact), research group.

Thanks to the generosity of this scholarship Clara has been able to undertake her PhD to focus on her passion for working in science, in particular looking at food security and plant-pathogen interactions. The Michael Lawrence Scholarship has ensured that she can build a career in these fields.

Clara said: “I had the opportunity to do an internship with Nick Talbot’s research group over 2014 summer and I realised I wanted a career in research as I saw how they work and how much it motivated me. During my time with them I had fun working in the lab and I learned a lot of molecular biology and of course I learned about Magnaporthe oryzae, which complements my chemistry background. I hope this helps me make the most of my PhD experience.”

Clara Rodriguez, who is part funded by Dr Michael Lawrence (Physics, 1965) and the Carlotta Palmer legacy, was asked to present her poster at the L’Oreal Women in Science event on 24 May in London. This is a fantastic achievement reflecting her hard work in the food security team with Prof Nick Talbot.