Growing as a Researcher and Educator: My Journey from PDRA to University Teacher

Posted on: 11 September 2026 by Dr Nada Mosallam (Number of words: 417; Read time: 2 minutes 3 seconds) in Blog posts

Dr Nada Mosallam is a University Teacher in Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Liverpool. Prior to this, she was a Senior Postdoctoral Research Associate (PDRA) in the Department of Chemistry, where her research focused on drug discovery approaches for neurodegenerative and infectious diseases, with additional interests in cancer therapeutics. She has over a decade of higher education teaching experience and is an Associate Fellow of Advance HE, currently working towards Fellowship.

As a postdoctoral researcher, it is important to keep learning and developing beyond the immediate requirements of your research project. For me, opportunities to teach and supervise students became an important part of my development and ultimately helped me progress towards my current role as a University Teacher.

As part of my role as a PDRA, I have had the opportunity to mentor and supervise undergraduate and MSc students. This is an aspect of my work that I particularly enjoy. It is rewarding to see students become more confident in the laboratory, start developing their own ideas and learn how to approach experimental problems independently.

I gradually began taking on more responsibilities for supporting students' development, including setting targets, providing structured feedback and helping students communicate and present their research. Through this, I realised that I particularly enjoyed explaining scientific concepts, asking questions and helping students develop their understanding.

This led to an opportunity to contribute to a new MSc course. I volunteered to support my supervisor with the development of a lecture on CRISPR-based approaches to target validation in drug discovery. I researched the topic, developed the teaching materials and, having enjoyed the preparation, offered to deliver the lecture myself.

One of the things I love most about being a researcher is having the opportunity to share what I’ve learned with others. Whether in the laboratory or the lecture theatre, I’m always reminded that science is at its best when we share ideas, ask questions and learn from one another.

Delivering the lecture was a particularly valuable experience. I enjoyed being able to explain a complex topic in an accessible way and incorporating active-learning activities to encourage students to engage with the lecture. Seeing students participate and respond positively to the session was incredibly encouraging and reminded me how much I enjoy teaching.

The experience also made me realise that I wanted to bring teaching more formally into my academic career. I subsequently applied for a University Teacher position within the Department of Chemistry and was delighted to be offered the role. Alongside this, I completed the training required for Associate Fellowship of Advance HE and have since joined the ULTRA programme to continue developing my teaching practice.

Looking back, the opportunities I took on alongside my research were not simply additional activities. They helped me develop skills in communication, mentoring, organisation and leadership, while also helping me understand the type of academic career I wanted to pursue.

My experience as a PDRA taught me that career development does not always require stepping away from your research role. Sometimes it starts by saying yes to an opportunity, volunteering to try something new and discovering that you enjoy it. For me, those opportunities helped turn an interest in teaching into the next stage of my academic career.