Sarah Titcombe '25 earned the prestigious Fulbright/Imperial College London Award to conduct two research projects related to bacterial resistance and infection at Imperial's Centre for Bacterial Resistance Biology. Sarah also won the Fulbright Canada-Mitacs Globalink Award in Summer 2023.
Why did you choose to apply for this award?
I aspire to a career studying resistant infectious diseases that affect people around the world, so I applied to this award because Fulbright facilitates international collaboration and Imperial College London has a great program for infectious disease study.
Briefly describe the work you will be doing on your fellowship.
I will be conducting two research projects related to bacterial resistance and infection at Imperial's Centre for Bacterial Resistance Biology.
What are you most looking forward to during your time as a fellow?
I am most looking forward to exploring different angles of resistance biology. My program allows me to take on two projects, so I plan to conduct one that studies how resistant pathogens interact with their host and another that tests how antibacterial treatments target them.
How have your experiences at Oxy prepared you to apply for this award?
Oxy introduced me to research early on, which allowed me to build a progressively advanced portfolio of research experience before applying for Fulbright UK. I completed one summer in the EDA lab through Oxy's Research Early Access Program (REAP), and then joined this lab for research during academic years as well. With a plethora of transferable skills built at Oxy, I was also able to conduct research projects through Fulbright Canada-Mitacs Globalink and the National Institutes of Health. Applying to these programs gave me practice writing compelling, competitive applications. My work with these organizations exposed me to internationally diverse research teams, and the projects helped me to develop new lab skills and my professional goals. These experiences, originating from Oxy research, prepared me to apply for this award.
What advice would you give future applicants about the application process?
Weave a narrative of how your experiences inform your personal and professional goals, and how your proposed project and/or organization's mission fits into them. This takes a lot of refinement to nail, so write and rewrite your statements over and over!