Dr Matthew Lloyd
Dr Matthew Lloyd completed a Masters in Biochemistry at Oxford in 2018, working on his Part II project in the lab of Associate Professor Sri Vasudevan in Pharmacology. He was then awarded an Interdisciplinary Bioscience (BBSRC DTP) iCASE Studentship and studied for his DPhil in the Oxford Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics (DPAG), under the joint supervision of Professor Dame Fran Ashcroft and Dr Carina Ammala from the Novo Nordisk Research Centre. Matthew was successful in 2023 in obtaining a three-year Novo Nordisk Postdoctoral Research Fellowship which enabled him to return to work with both Sri in Pharmacology and Dr Aarti Jagannath and Professor Russell Foster in the NDCN Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute.
What made you want to pursue a career in science?
I’ve always had a strong curiosity about how things work, which could have taken me in various directions but ultimately led me follow my interest in studying life at the cellular level and read Biochemistry as an undergraduate. During that degree I became fascinated by metabolism and how it can become dysregulated in disease, and I have grappled with improving our understanding of these complexities ever since. Once I started doing my own research there was no looking back.
What drives you and excites you about your job?
Of course there is no guarantee that this will happen, but like many in my field I am motivated by the possibility that my work may lead to the development of novel drugs that will improve people’s lives. Fortunately, I’m in a department with a strong track record in spinning out successful companies. On a more day-to-day level, I enjoy the variety that comes with working in academia (no two days are the same) and the freedom to follow interesting results and see where the data take me.
What are the high points of your career so far?
Securing my current fellowship was a high point, not least because I applied during the final few weeks of writing my DPhil thesis – not the easiest time to focus on job applications! Being part of a large network of current and former Novo Nordisk fellows is an invaluable benefit of the programme.
What obstacles have you had to overcome?
The pandemic struck at an awkward time during my DPhil, and forced me to adapt my project, reducing the amount of animal work that I’d originally planned. I also had a revolving door of industry supervisors before gaining a permanent one who enabled me to finally undertake my industrial placement in my fourth year.
What advice would you give to early career researchers and students looking to develop their careers – what lessons have you learned? What would you recommend and what would you counsel them against?
Take the opportunity to gain experience working in a few different labs early in your studies, and thereby learn what kind of research you like before you specialise. Developing relationships with industry is also increasingly important. Finally, I’ve been fortunate in this respect, but having a good relationship with your PI is crucial as this can make or break a project, so choose your supervisor carefully.