Denise Li Testimonial

Denise Li

When you join SOFI CDT, you join a community of distinguished scientists in academia and industry. The first 6-months are quite intense so naturally, the cohort becomes a close group of friends and colleagues working on Soft Matter research themes. Being part of SOFI, I have a real sense of belonging, even now as an alumnus!

As a SOFI student, you are in a very privileged position – supervisors pitch their projects to you! Plus, the whole project choice process enables you to keep your options open. You consider projects you wouldn’t have considered before joining SOFI and get to know the prospective supervisors before you choose your project.

The SOFI CDT is more than just a PhD, it provides ample training for a range of possible career paths outside of a traditional academic or industrial route: from science journalism to entrepreneurship to intellectual property. You are also encouraged to practise your communication skills by doing outreach via public engagement, school visits, hosting podcasts etc. There really is something for everyone. The training has no doubt helped my career so far. Since graduating, I joined SOFI partner, Mondelēz International, and now am back at one of the SOFI universities, Edinburgh. My current role involves scoping and developing partnerships between academia and industry