Wenyue Dai

What course are you studying?

I am enrolled in Chemical Biology and Drug Design course in School of Chemistry as a taught master in 2017/2018.

Why did you decide to study a masters at the University of Leeds?

The University of Leeds is one of the top universities in the Russell Group and also a member of “Worldwide Universities Network” and “White Rose University Consortium”, that fully indicate its scientific prowess. Furthermore, Chemical Biology and Drug Design MSc course in Uni of Leeds has accreditation from the Royal Society of Chemistry in UK I believe these are enough to reflect the enjoyed reputation.

What has been the best aspect of studying on your course and why?

Apart from academic skills, we also get to know how a medicine is discovered and developed in the real world from speeches shared by visiting lecturers from pharmaceutical enterprises such as AstraZeneca. This really helps us combine science with industry.

Tell us about some of the exciting projects you have completed.

When I was undergraduate, I was deeply interested in computer-aided drug design. This course did cover lots of this part and we could operate related software such as Maestro to design suitable inhibitor molecules de novo based on crystal structure of certain proteins, that is really cool!

What does Leeds as a city have to offer students?

Extreme convenience. One could settle down from the first day of arriving because everything you need could be found in the market quite close to our campus. The Trinity centre is an excellent shopping center located in the city centre with around 120 stores, just around 1.5 kilometres away from campus and is an excellent place to make the most of weekend.

What are your ambitions for the future?

My ambitions are to continue with academic study, I want to further my knowledge and contribution to my field in a significant way. I have obtained several opportunities through, recommendations by my personal tutor, which is absolutely a huge step for me.

What experiences at Leeds do you think will help you in your future career?

There are lots of transferable skills I have developed during the first part of my course. I think what impressed me most is the serious attitude towards “truth”. When reading a scholarly literature, we are expected to think objectively of the experiment results and pick holes in the methodology instead of just echoing to what authors said. That is more a “create” than solely “remember” stuff and give us quite inspirations. This is a great way to learn and will help me in my future career.

What would you say to students coming to do the same course?

For those who want to apply for this course, I want to say: Do not hesitate any longer. The University of Leeds is a superb place for pursuing science and enjoying your life!