Barbara Zonta

My main role is to design, develop, plan, organize the teaching of the MSc Taught Course in Pharmacology.  

The MSc course aims to provide students with the theoretical and practical training to pursue both academic and non-academic careers in Pharmacology. I manage the admissions to the course  and its  day-to-day running of activities. The course organization and implementation involve close communication and liaison with faculty members, tutors and administrative staff. Very importantly, students play a vital role in shaping and updating the course as I encourage them to be active active partners in their learning process and via their feedback.

What I enjoy the most about my role is interacting with students coming from all over the world. Every year,  I learn something from each diverse group of students. It gives me immense pleasure to guide them through their studies and to follow their career path after they leave. 

As teaching oversight manager, I coordinate the departmental teaching to undergraduate pre-clinical  and biomedical sciences students. I also sit on several Medical Sciences division Committees, where we monitor the quality of all our courses. 

In addition to my teaching related role, I am affiliated to Dr Liliana Minichiello's group as my research experience and interest are aligned to that of her group. Studying the development and function of the central nervous system (CNS) has always been the central focus of my research career. In Dr Liliana Minichiello, my research has been refined to incorporate the role of neurotrophin signalling in the development of local circuitry and in maintaining neuronal function with age. 

My affiliation with Dr Minichiello's group not only keeps my research interest alive, but it also provides me with the opportunity to contribute ideas and supervise students in short and long-term projects.

Last but not least,  I actively participate in Public Engagement with Research activities. These are really enriching experiences at several levels, from learning how to communicate science to difference audiences to stimulating creativity. Most of all, they are fun!