Progress to Postgrad: Shao

Posted on: 19 September 2025 by Richard Finch in Class of 2024

Shao Jinn Hannah Goh is a Class of 2024 graduate from our Medicinal Chemistry with Pharmacology (MChem) programme who is now a MIBTP PhD Student at the University of Warwick.

How did you hear about your course?

I knew that I was interested in Neuroscience but, I wasn’t sure how to navigate towards that interest from a Chemistry degree. I tried my luck on find a PhD and managed to find a PhD project that had a good combination of both subjects, as well as offered lots of new skills and things to learn.

How did you get to where you are now?

The recruitment process involved sending an application and attending an interview. The interviewer asked me to explain my previous projects, and my goals for the future and what I aim to achieve with my PhD. I didn’t have much work experience to lean on, but my motivations were equally as important. The topic of my PhD is something that has impacted some of the closest people in my life, as a result I was able to make my motivations clear.

Your favourite thing about your current course?       

I was given the chance to attend the BNA 2025 conference, which was an eye-opening experience. It highlighted the large scope of things that neuroscience covers and showed me how many exciting things are happening in the world of neuroscience. I also made some new connections and gained some expertise from people in the same field as me.

The most challenging part of your graduate journey?

The most challenging part has probably been feeling under-qualified for what I’m doing. My new role is quite the departure from what I was doing previously as I’m now in a completely different field of science than before. But this is not out of the ordinary, many people on my course have done the same thing and switched disciplines. I’ve learned that this doesn’t make me under-qualified - interdisciplinary research is encouraged.

Could you share one tip you wish you knew before you started

Shoot for the things that interest you, even if you don’t think you’re suitable for the role. Supervisors or employers won’t always expect you to have a perfected skill set, and there are plenty of opportunities to learn things along the way.

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