MSc Mini Projects (2009)

Experimental - Supervised by Dr. Mark Wall (School of Life Sciences)

Characterisation of layer V pyramidal neurons and their chemical synapses in the developing neocortex.

This project allowed me to develop skills in electrophysiological techniques. I conducted dual whole-cell patch clamp recordings on layer V pyramidal neurons in order to characterise the properties of the synapses between them. This was the first work using intracellular recordings in the neocortex conducted in the lab and I was successful in developing electrophysiological and staining tools for neuronal characterisation.

Theoretical/Computational - Supervised by Prof. Matthew Turner (Dept. of Physics)

A system of self-driven interacting particles in anisotropic space

I programmed (in C) an algorithm for self-driven interacting particles, and investigated their behaviour when introduced to anisotropic space (in the form of geometric barriers) with a view to understanding how swarming animals may be guided by environmental asymmetries. I discovered that it was remarkably easy to manipulate the behaviour of the system using asymmetrical barriers, raising the prospect of future work that could improve re-wilding schemes or agriculture using similar concepts in real-world environments.

Undergraduate (2005-2008)

University of Cambridge - Natural Sciences (Zoology) 1st class Hons

a pair of thick-tufted layer V pyramidal neurons under dual whole-cell current clamp recording