Amit Samani
My lab has been brilliant at helping me settle in, and the Crick in general is such an open and friendly place. The transition from clinical practice to laboratory research can be challenging but I am surrounded by people who have made that a lot easier.

Amit Samani, 2018 intake Crick-CRUK doctoral clinical fellow, Julian Downward’s lab

I am a medical oncology trainee, currently taking time out of clinical practice to pursue a PhD at the Crick. I have always enjoyed learning about the science that underpins what we do in clinical practice and I am really looking forward to exploring this properly over the next few years. 

I am based in the oncogene biology laboratory, under Julian Downward. We are looking at ways in which oncogenic RAS signalling can affect the tumour immune microenvironment. It is very much a basic science-focused project but there is a diverse range of projects on offer here with many colleagues from other labs working with patient samples.

My lab has been brilliant at helping me settle in, and the Crick in general is such an open and friendly place. The transition from clinical practice to laboratory research can be challenging but I am surrounded by people who have made that a lot easier. Also, the opportunity to work with a partner institution is a relatively unique feature of the Crick programme, and one which I am very grateful for. I am registered with the Institute of Cancer Research and as a result I have received invaluable advice from my secondary supervisor, Alan Melcher, and am l looking forward to working with my clinical mentor later in the program. 

I am excited to see how the next few years unfold. It would be great to make a difference to advancing knowledge in the field and ultimately to improving patient care. I feel that the Crick is an ideal platform to make this happen.