Class of 2024: Isabella Ciuta

Isabella Ciuta had such a positive undergraduate experience at Essex that she decided to stay on to do a masters – and a PhD.

She graduates this summer with an MSc by Dissertation in Molecular Medicine from the School of Life Sciences.

Originally from Romania, Isabella was drawn to Essex because of its international reputation, and during her undergraduate studies she said Essex “became home”.

“I chose to do my research masters here due to my positive undergraduate experience and due to the great quality of research and supervision,” she said. “During my undergraduate studies, Essex became home. I knew I would receive the academic support I needed to succeed in my masters.”

And she wasn’t wrong. Isabella has done so well in her Masters that she is now on a Chancellor’s Scholarship to do a PhD.

“I previously studied biomedical sciences and I'm passionate about breaking barriers in healthcare, so I picked research with clear possible applications to earlier, less-invasive diagnostics. Knowing that your research project can make tangible contributions to healthcare advancements is a great motivator,” she said.

She said her biggest challenge was adapting to the change in teaching and learning from an undergraduate student compared to a research masters student.

“As an undergraduate student, I always had assignments, exams, lectures, very specific aims with clear deadlines. When it comes to a research degree though, you are in control, and as such, fully responsible of your own time and project management. My biggest challenge was understanding whether I was doing enough.

“Support systems are in place, but it is down to you to access them and make use of them accordingly.”

Isabella has been inspired by the work of her peers and staff members at the University. “Such interesting research is undertaken at Essex and so there are so many dedicated students that it is hard to not be inspired when you ask people what they do and why they do it,” she said.

“The quality of supervision reflects the dedication of staff members to their research and towards developing the next generation of researchers.”

Isabella has embraced many of the opportunities Essex has to offer. When she started her masters, she was also working full time as a vice president with the Students Union and, towards the end of it, she started working as a postgraduate convenor.

“These roles enabled me to meet many other students and represent them and their interests in important meetings and committees such as Education Committee, Senate, and Student Parliament. They also gave me a great insight into how universities and the higher education system work behind the scenes and gave me examples of best practice which I can implement in my work in the future.”

Isabella praises the University for many reasons, including the unique feature of the Colchester Campus having its very own Campus Cat.

“I would recommend it for the beautiful campus, the great supervision, the quality of research, the community feel facilitated by SU events and, of course, Pebbles the campus cat.

“Some of my best days have included lab meetings, working with a view from the top floor of the library, meeting friends at SU events, and petting Pebbles.”

She is now looking forward to continuing her academic journey.

“After graduation, I will continue working towards being Dr Isabella Ciuta,” she said.