Hi, my name is Alasdair Taylor

and I am applying for the biomedical science graduate program at Texas A&M.

My interest in a PhD began when, as a part of my bachelor’s degree at the university of Surrey

I had the opportunity to take a year out of my studies to obtain relevant work experience.

I was fortunate enough to be offered a place in the veterinary pathobiology department at Texas A&M

studying Angelman syndrome and genetic imprinting in the Dindot lab

Although I had to fly home early due to the current pandemic

I was able to spend 8 months at A&M

Honestly, it was intimidating at first

I understood the science, but the work was completely new to me

I was 5000 miles from home

I had never been somewhere so big or so unbelievably hot!

Despite this, Texas A&M quickly began to feel like home

Being surrounded by passionate staff, excellent facilities

and developing my own enthusiasm for the work we did there

made me certain that this was the best place for me to pursue a PhD

and somewhere that I could make a real difference

A good portion of my time at work was spent in the lab

I collected mouse samples and used them to extract DNA, RNA and protein

this was daunting at first but with the help of my colleagues

and a lot of practice

I soon began conducting PCR, qRT-PCR and Western blotting independently

I was also involved in projects that included computational data analysis

neuronal imaging and the characterisation of a novel large animal model

of Angelman syndrome

The latter project was at times very physically demanding

but I enjoyed getting my hands dirty with research like this

Almost as much as I enjoyed having a shower afterwards

I even got to design, conduct and analyse

my own behavioural assay of the large animal model

based on previous studies done in mice

Being part of the Dindot lab and conducting genuinely impactful research like this

really inspired me to pursue a PhD

Knowing that I was playing my own small part,

not only in the furthering of scientific understanding,

but also in helping those with Angelman syndrome

motivated me beyond anything else to keep working hard in the lab

and has continued to be my motivation for applying to the graduate program

With almost a year of training and a keen familiarity

with the high standards expected of both staff and students there

I am certain that Texas A&M is the right place for me

My goal is to continue developing the foundational knowledge and skills that I gained there

and progress on to a career in biomedical research

I know that almost every candidate will have similar career aspirations

and humanitarian motivations as my own

But I believe that my previous experience of working full time in research at A&M

my strong work ethic and the determination to succeed that I have demonstrated throughout my bachelors

my internship and my volunteer work with St John’s Ambulance

really sets me apart and makes me an excellent candidate for the programme

Thank you for your time and consideration.