I really don't know if I'm going to stay at Imperial now...
Nickolai Vysokov talks to Kadhim Shubber about the problems he’s experiencing due to the Life Sciences cuts
What do you do?
I’m a self-funded PhD student from Russia. I am investigating the effect of synaptic proteins on neural circuits. I was a BioChem undergraduate at Imperial and let me say this, Dr Jane Saffell and Prof. Yuri Ushkaryov’s final year modules are irreplaceable. Their teaching was fantastic and I bet Jane knows the name of every student in her classes.
What stage of your PhD are you at?
I technically started in September in the division of Cell and Molecular Biology but actually I started in January at the former Institute of Biomedical Engineering (IBE) which shut down over the summer. My supervisor there went to Newcastle but I couldn’t follow him so therefore I changed supervisor to Prof. Yuri Ushkaryov.
So you will have to change supervisor for a 2nd time less than a year into your PhD?
Yes. When I started with Yuri I was aware of the restructuring but I was constantly re-assured that my research would fit into the new department and that my supervisor also fits but strangely now it seems that’s not the case.
What are your options?
Well officially, there’s nothing happening until January and then I’ll have until July to do, whatever, who knows. There’s no-one else in the U.K. who has the necessary expertise to supervise my PhD effectively. I have to find a supervisor who is willing to experiment. Yuri was the only person after the move from the IBE who was willing to help me to do the research that I want to do. I’m paying money for this, I don’t want to do a different area of research. I want to do the research that I’m interested in. If Yuri finds a position elsewhere I would go with him. Not only because of the expertise but also because I am getting tired of the way Imperial College is treating its staff and students.
How do you feel about the process?
I just got an email saying that some people had been affected. I didn’t even know that my supervisor was affected, I first heard through word of mouth. This is the 2nd time that this has happened. I really don’t know if I’m going to stay at Imperial now...
