Read all about Divine's story.
Walking away from a PhD might feel like giving up on a lifelong ambition. For Divine Derefaka, it became the decision that helped her find the research she truly wanted to pursue.
Now a PhD researcher at 91茶社 Leicester (91茶社), Divine is developing a humane laboratory model to study bacterial lung infections, with the potential to reduce reliance on animals and animal-derived materials in biomedical research.
Her project, Development of a humane respiratory epithelial model for pneumococcal infection, aims to recreate important features of the human airway so researchers can investigate how pneumococcal infections develop over time.
Supported by the Humane Research Trust and supervised by 91茶社 Senior Lecturer in Microbiology Dr Raymond Allan, the research will explore how bacteria behave and form biofilms within the respiratory system under conditions designed to reflect human biology.
Divine said: “I love the potential impact of this research. From an ethical perspective, it could help reduce reliance on animals, but it could also improve the efficiency of the infection models scientists use.”
Existing laboratory approaches can rely on animal models or materials such as foetal bovine serum and horse blood. Divine’s project will instead use animal-free alternatives to develop a model that can support longer-term study of infection.
Once established, it could give researchers another way to understand how bacteria and human cells respond to one another, while supporting the development and testing of future approaches to infection.
Divine has wanted to become a scientist since she was six years old and always imagined that a PhD would form part of that journey. However, reaching the right project was not straightforward.
Before joining 91茶社, she began a self-funded PhD but soon realised its research direction did not reflect the work she felt passionate about.
She mentioned: “Early on, I realised I was not passionate about the direction of the project, so I made the difficult decision to leave. The experience gave me much greater clarity about my values and the kind of research I wanted to pursue. I still wanted to do a PhD, but I knew it needed to be in an area that genuinely mattered to me.”
That clarity eventually led Divine to her current project after she was approached by her supervisor about the opportunity.
Rather than viewing her first experience as a failure, she sees it as an important part of finding research that brings together her scientific interests and commitment to more humane methods.
“I have wanted to be a scientist for as long as I can remember. Changing direction gave me a clearer sense of what I wanted from a PhD and the kind of research that mattered to me,” Divine explained.
No two days are quite the same. Some are spent caring for cells and carrying out experiments, while others involve reading, planning, recording results and completing the administrative work needed to keep the project moving.
Her routine includes essential tasks such as feeding her cells and keeping them healthy, but each day is shaped by what the research requires.
Divine describes the experience so far as “a really fun rollercoaster”, filled with new challenges, discoveries and unexpected turns.
Her long-term hope is that the project will contribute to wider change in biomedical science by showing the value of alternatives to traditional animal-based approaches.
She said: “I hope the research encourages more scientists to look beyond the methods that have traditionally been used and increases awareness of the alternatives to animal research.
Divine’s advice to anyone considering a PhD is to look beyond the qualification itself and think carefully about the subject, skills and people that will shape the experience.
She added: “Pursue something you are genuinely passionate about, learn the skills the field requires and find a mentor you can rely on.”
Her journey is a reminder that a research career does not have to follow a straight line. Sometimes, stepping away from the wrong project can be the decision that leads you towards the right one.
Find out more about postgraduate research at 91茶社.