Becoming a scientist

A write up by St Catz College

A Fellow of St Catharine’s has produced a new graphic novel to encourage high school students from all backgrounds to pursue STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). Professor Adrian Liston (2023) has joined forces with illustrator Yulia Lapko on Becoming a Scientist: The Graphic Novel to tell the story of the twelve scientists in his biomedical research laboratory at the University of Cambridge.

Professor Liston explained, “Growing up, I didn't know what a career in science was. It was really luck more than anything else that allowed me to fall into the career I have today. When I looked around the amazing people in my lab, I realised that everyone had a story about overcoming barriers to enter science. While everyone's story is unique, what they have in common is inspiring – there are so many different pathways to success in science. I wrote this book to share these outstanding role-models with high school students, so they can find a story that resonates with them, and use that inspiration to go into STEM subjects.”

Cover of the Becoming a Scientist graphic novel by Prof. Adrian Liston with illustrator Yulia Lapko

Originally from Australia, Professor Liston is now Professor of Pathology at the University of Cambridge, a where he leads a team of researchers looking at the pathologies of the immune system. The idea for a graphic novel came about after Professor Liston’s group spent time at St Catharine’s for a team-building session, which invited each scientist to speak about their backgrounds, role models and motivations. With the group’s support, the new graphic novel devotes a section to each team-member’s story, with eye-catching illustrations provided by Yulia. Read the graphic novel online. 

Detail about Prof. Liston's story from the Becoming a Scientist graphic novel

Yulia is an artist from Kyiv, Ukraine. She balances her art career with her day job as Business Administrator for Cambridge’s Department of Pathology.

She said, “I might not be a scientist, but I can relate to the idea that everyone has the potential to become anyone they want to be. Our paths might be very different, and some of them are longer and tougher than others, but the key thing is motivation. Relatable role models help nurture our potential, and I am excited that our book offers twelve role models to inspire young people.”

Becoming a Scientist is Professor Liston’s first publication for a young adult audience (readers between 12 and 18 years of age). He has previously written All about Coronavirus, Battle Robots of the Blood and Maya’s Marvellous Medicine for children between 3 and 8 years old, all illustrated by Dr Sonia Agüera González (also known as Tenmei).

Professor Liston added, “Some readers might associate graphic novels with fiction like Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman or Alan Moore and David Lloyd’s collaboration on V for Vendetta, but there is a rich tradition of creative biographical works such as Marjane Satrapi’s memoir, Perspolis, or Art Spiegelman’s interviews with his father in Maus.

“I am privileged to go to work every day with such a talented group of people and it has been an honour to tell the different stories that brought us all together in Cambridge. I hope these diverse experiences connect with and inspire the next generation of scientists.”

Some of the scientists featured in the graphic novel with Prof Liston (centre top row) in their lab (credit: Natalie Sloan-Glasberg)

The graphic novel is also available in print from https://www.thegreatbritishbookshop.co.uk/products/becoming-a-scientist

Becoming a Scientist - out now!

Becoming a Scientist: The Graphic Novel is now available in print edition!

Black in Cancer

Nice to see our very own Magda Ali on the BBC talking about the Black in Cancer program!

Lab Gantt chart

Our lab Gantt chart, modelled by current undergraduate interns Ray Yan and Preesha Jain! It covers 185 lab members, based in VIB and KU Leuven in Belgium, and the Babraham Institute and University of Cambridge in the UK. An average of 14 team members joining annually in Belgium (largely because of the fantastic Erasmus program allowing mobility across Europe!) and 8 team members joining annually in the UK. Median duration of 12 month stay in Belgium (with Masters students being the median lab member) and 18 month stay in the UK (with PhD students being the median lab member, but none yet to graduate!). A whole lot of memories and nostalgia in this picture!

Black excellence in cancer research at Cambridge

Black scientists in Cambridge are driving change to help create a cancer research sector that better represents the wider population.

Read the full article, including the profile of our very own Magda Ali!

Magda Ali is in her final year of the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Centre MRes + PhD in Cancer Biology funded studentship at the Department of Pathology and Lucy Cavendish College.

After graduating from King’s College London with a degree in Biomedical Science, she spent two years working as a scientist on cell and gene therapy assets at GlaxoSmithKline, before beginning her PhD researching immune cell trafficking into solid tumours.

“I loved my undergraduate degree, every part of it, I found it fascinating!” she said. “In my final year I studied the biology of cancer and it felt like that was what everything had been leading up to. It put all of the things I’d studied up to that point into the context of this horrible disease, that dysregulates everything and co-opts all of these pathways that normally work well, using them to its own advantage. I found the complexity of the disease really interesting, particularly because of cancers resistance mechanisms. It’s the biggest challenge.”

During her degree, Magda specialised in cancer immunology. “I was really lucky to get a final year degree project in a lab working on immunotherapies – it was becoming a hot field at that time so it was a great opportunity.”

And off the back of the lab experience she built up during her degree, Magda landed a position at GSK, where she worked for two years before applying for her PhD.

She said: “Not many people from my school went on to University to study for an undergraduate degree, let alone to study for a PhD, but it was something I’d known I wanted to do for a long time.

“It’s important that there is representation of all races and heritages when it comes to research and running clinical trials, and not just at the point of developing the drug – but at the point of thinking about which questions to ask. We need diverse minds and diverse backgrounds to ask questions that are relevant for everybody, to make sure there’s equal access to healthcare. Education is such a privilege, and although some people make a huge effort, I think in general we can do much better at communicating science to the public.

“After my PhD, I hope to work as a science communicator to bridge the gap between science and the public.”

Lab photo

The Golden Pipette

Science plays the long game, but Adrian Liston celebrates the small achievements his team makes along the way. 

Danielle Gerhard, PhD, writing for The Scientist

Hanging on the wall of immunologist Adrian Liston's laboratory at the University of Cambridge is a commemorative plaque. Engraved are the names of laboratory members who received the Golden Pipette Award, an annual honor that recognizes incremental advancements and team players. It may or may not grant the recipient the Midas Touch, but Liston reflected on how the tradition fosters a sense of community.

What is the Golden Pipette origin story?

In 2016, we had a special PhD candidate graduating from the lab. James Dooley had been a technician in my lab for several years prior to his graduation. To celebrate his achievements and the impact he had on the careers of others in the team, we painted one of his pipettes gold. The gesture was well received, so each year, we award the pipette to an individual who made a significant contribution to the team.

What does the Golden Pipette represent?

Science is tough. We work at the very limits of human knowledge, which means we constantly fail. The Golden Pipette tradition is one of the ways we create a positive culture and supportive environment. Big achievements, such as a paper, take a long time, so it’s important to celebrate the small successes: generating a transgenic mouse; developing a new protocol; the heroic effort that ends up as supplementary figure 12. It also signals our values and priorities: imagination, creativity, robust science, and team contributions. 

How did your team respond to the Golden Pipette?

It seemed silly at first, but the tradition has outlasted everyone in the group. It serves as a visual reminder that we’re part of a greater project. In a recent hiring round, several people said that they look forward to the chance of winning the Golden Pipette.

Read the story as told in The Scientist...

Becoming a Scientist: The Graphic Novel

Our latest project has just been released: Becoming a Scientist: The Graphic Novel!

The novel follows the stories of the amazing team members in the lab (or, at least, those team members who have been around since last October when we started this project!). We follow their story in becoming a scientist: the barriers they had to overcome, the role-models who helped them on the way, and the motivation that drove them to enter STEM.

This is a unique project for us, because it isn't about our science. It is about us as scientists. Where we came from, and how we got here. None of us were destined for science, yet somehow here we are, working together to better the world...

Our amazing illustrator, Yulia Lapko, brings to life each person's story. We have Magda, daughter of Somali refugees, drawing strength from her mother's sacrifice and equally determined to help others in turn. We have Alvaro, who barely managed to get into school growing up in Peru, and has now made it to Cambridge with a ripper of an under-graduate project. James, who took a long and winding route, overcoming every disadvantage life gives a foster kid, and yet somehow beating the odds and now helping others succeed. Stevi made the transition from patient to researcher, and Tombi brings her mission from Zimbabwe to help the global ubuntu. I realised, looking around the lab, that I could talk about how inspiring I find literally every person - so I put them all into a book!

I draw inspiration from these amazing team members. I could have written this story at any point over the past fifteen years - we have nearly 200 amazing alumni, each with their own unique story. I wrote these stories to provide role-models to anyone thinking about starting a career in science. Science is not for the privileged few. Science is for anyone who has ever asked "why?", and anyone who is too stubborn to know when to stop asking! Take a look into these stories - if we can succeed in science, you can too!

The book is live now to read at Issuu, and will be released soon in print. If you want to support more innovative projects in broadening participation from our lab, drop us a donation!

In the news

The Cambridge Independent