Katherine Stafford
Katherine Stafford Clinical Doctoral Fellow (2025 cohort) Jose Adrover’s lab.
I have always loved science – in part familial influence and an obsession with the strange and counterintuitive results I found in my children’s book of 101 experiments. When I began medical training, I found myself most interested in the underlying causes of disease and creative ways to approach treatment. While I loved working with patients, I found that asking questions constantly during training often got me in trouble. I realized that a career bridging academia and medicine would be ideal to feed my curiosity.
While working as a physician-scientist was always my dream job, I took a somewhat circuitous career path (UK medical school, a public health masters, USA residency, and 2 years of part-time work), and was grateful that the Crick PhD gave me the opportunity to dedicate three years to basic science in such an incredible learning environment.
My PhD project focuses on the role of neutrophils in tumour necrosis and includes clinical research with human samples alongside experimental science using mouse tumour models. My supervisor, Jose M. Adrover, has been tremendously supportive as I’ve adjusted to life in the lab.
After 11 years dedicated to medicine, I’d begun to feel quite competent and comfortable in a clinical environment. Starting a PhD has felt like starting from scratch – from my current vantage as a first year PhD, my supervisor has superhuman competence at everything I’m learning, which has been inspiring and humbling in the best way! Having a knowledgeable, open-minded, and encouraging group leader has been such a blessing and made my PhD one of the most formative learning opportunities of my life.
The Crick itself has been such a fantastic community to join. Unlike most other institutes, where students rarely get a chance to interact, and different departments might be geographically separated, at the Crick they have made an explicit effort to encourage community- and it works! There are many opportunities to socialize and mingle, architectural design that encourages bumping into each other, numerous social clubs, and special interest events that foster friendships and collaboration.
A non-science highlight of my time at the Crick was the opportunity to have dinner with Kazuo Ishiguro, one of my favourite authors who was invited for an insight lecture. The science technology platforms are also an incredible resource that facilitates structured training and enables everyone at the Crick to use state-of-the art techniques.
There are few careers as rewarding as science if you love to think, collaborate, and imagine. While academic medicine certainly has its challenges, I am so grateful to have struck gold at the Crick with an engaging project, inspiring supervisor, and a truly supportive community.
