For this year’s Social Mobility Day, the theme is #StoriesMatter, so we want to tell you Daniel’s story.
When he first came across In2scienceUK, Daniel Harris was a mature student who attended a small university, where he struggled to gain relevant research experience. In2research provided him with confidence in the lab, as well as application support from his mentor, and he went on to successfully secure a PhD at the University of Glasgow! Read his story below.
Life before In2research
I studied at a much smaller university, and there simply weren’t any opportunities to take part in research like we’re given on In2research. I had searched for external opportunities, but the majority were unpaid internships and that just wasn’t a possibility for me. Before the programme, I was stuck in a position of wanting to pursue research but not having the experience to apply for PhDs, but also not being able to gain any valuable experiences due to the lack of paid positions. It was a real challenge.
I found that just having a degree in a relevant subject wasn’t enough. You need to demonstrate more skills and experience in your PhD applications to be able to secure an interview so I was stuck at not being able to get over that hurdle.
My route into education is different from many other people. I’m from a farming background in a regional town. Growing up, my town only had 10,000 people, so tend to have three choices – go into farming, join the military or leave. No one ever thought about being a scientist.
I grew up in social housing. Being from a working-class background from this region, and especially being from outside of London, I felt that I just didn’t get that many opportunities.
I left school at 16 and went into labour work. The rest of my education has been self-taught. I had to teach myself A levels while working full-time! I only got two A levels, so I’m eternally grateful to Essex University who took a chance on me, and when I applied for a foundation degree, they saw my potential and bumped me up to a BSc. It wasn’t until my second year that I heard about other programmes like In2research and had the opportunity to even think that research could be a career path for me.
Exploring chemistry at the University of Glasgow
In2research has opened so many doors for me. Because of the stipend, I can give 100% to this placement without having to worry about money or how I’m going to pay my living costs. I’ve been working with the PhD student Jake – his project is aluminium-based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs).
I did a lot of reading and work to design a project around membrane composition – I’ve been able to bring in my biochemistry background, too. While I got used to my surroundings and the chemistry lab, I felt 100% supported. There’s no such thing as a stupid idea here. This lab is so relaxed and friendly. I was able to develop my chemical synthesis skills and, in particular, gain mathematical skills.
Being able to attend a placement at a Russell Group university has also been game-changing – the facilities are out of this world! Previously, my experience has been that if you want to conduct specific experiments, then you have to send away for materials or simply do an alternative, but here at Glasgow, you can do it all! Some of the scans we’ve done here are phenomenal, and I would never have had access to them without this placement. I feel much more connected to this research project by being able to put my theoretical knowledge into practice.
Through In2research, I was also offered the chance to attend the Minoritised Life Scientists Future Forum and give a talk. I was so shocked when I won the prize for my talk at the student presentation awards!
Daniel’s next steps
My mentor was phenomenal. Having him give me specific feedback and guide me through my PhD application was invaluable. Having that person to lean on was so reassuring.
During the programme, I secured a PhD in Glasgow! I applied for my PhD in March, and used my
In2research experience and talked about the placement in my application. I was so grateful to have my In2research mentor’s support because without his encouragement, I don’t think I would have thought I was ready to do a PhD, and wouldn’t have applied. The In2research workshop about funding routes and PhD experiences was also incredibly helpful.
On this In2research placement, they gave me so much freedom. It’s made me realise that I do have the skills to work in research. It’s given me the confidence to bypass a master’s and know that I can skip straight to a PhD. And because I’ve been at the University of Glasgow this summer ahead of my PhD, I’ve been offered additional opportunities that I wouldn’t have got otherwise. It’s all because I’m here on campus talking to people; I wouldn’t have that without In2research.
Thanks to Daniel for sharing his In2research story with us! Thanks also to Professor Ross Forgan at the University of Glasgow for hosting as part of the programme and DiveIn CDT for funding this placement. In2research is currently closed for applications, but you can express your interest to apply as a participant here or as a volunteer here for the 2027 programme.