My SURF Experience with the Pandhal Research Group

By Isabella Caballero Sierra

This summer, I have had the opportunity to join the Pandhal Research Group through the University of Sheffield's SURF (Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship) programme. SURF provides undergraduate students with an eight-week opportunity to work alongside academics and researchers in their field, develop a research project, and experience what it is like to be part of an active research group.

I have been working within Professor Jagroop Pandhal's group, closely with PhD student José Cachay, on a project investigating synthetic promoters in Nannochloropsis oceanica CCMP1779. The project aims to identify cis-regulatory elements within the promoters of highly expressed genes and use this knowledge to explore the design of synthetic promoters with enhanced transcriptional activity.

One of the most rewarding aspects of the project has been the opportunity to explore areas of synthetic biology and genomics that were new to me. Over the course of the project, I have had the opportunity to develop my understanding of promoter architecture, transcriptional regulation and genetic engineering, while learning computational tools including BLAST, STREME, MEME and BioPython. More importantly, I have learned how these tools can be used to approach biological questions and how computational analysis can ultimately inform experimental design.

One of the aspects I have enjoyed most has been the collaborative environment within the group. The team includes PhD students, postdoctoral researchers and academics working on a wide range of problems, and everyone has been incredibly welcoming and willing to share their knowledge. Whether discussing my own project or simply learning about someone else's research, there is always something new to learn from the people around me. Working closely with José has been particularly valuable, as his guidance has allowed me to progressively develop my project while learning how research is conducted in practice.

Attending the group's meetings has also given me an insight into what it means to think like a researcher. Hearing researchers discuss results, question assumptions and consider what is known and what remains uncertain has taught me to approach my own work more critically. I have learned the importance of verifying results through different approaches and, perhaps most importantly, of producing work that is clear and reproducible so that others can understand, use and build upon it.

This experience has allowed me to grow not only as a Biomedical Engineer and student, but also as an inquisitive and increasingly independent researcher. It has shown me how collaborative research really is and how much can be gained from sharing ideas, knowledge and different perspectives.

I am extremely grateful to Professor Jagroop Pandhal and, especially, José Cachay for their mentorship and guidance throughout the project. I have genuinely enjoyed every stage of this experience so far and am excited to continue working on the project and make the most of the remainder of the summer!