Dr Raveen Tank, UMRI discipline hopping

The UMRI discipline hopping funding call aimed to support the development of new cross disciplinary partnerships by funding early career researchers to undertake a short placement with research teams outside of their discipline area.   

Dr Raveen Tank secured a discipline hopping award whilst she was a postdoctoral researcher in the Division of Evolution and Genomic Science, which enabled her to collaborate with colleagues with expertise in reproductive health. With a background and expertise in biophysics and microfluidics and an existing collaboration with the National Graphene Institute, Raveen was aiming to change her research focus and apply her expertise to translational healthcare research.  Raveen’s vision was to establish a novel methodology which would integrate advanced physics methodologies into biotechnology for reproductive health, leading to advances in diagnostic tools for gynaecological diseases.  

Raveen used the discipline hop award to spend time learning new techniques from colleagues with expertise in human cell lines and, through partnership working with colleagues in the local hospital, was able to work with clinical samples to test her novel methodology. Through the sharing of her research findings, Raveen has gone on to develop partnerships internationally and with industry.  

The discipline hop has enabled Raveen to take a step towards an independent research career and secure a Dame Kathleen Ollerenshaw Fellowship. Now based in the School of Natural Sciences, Raveen will use the Fellowship to continue her research on microfluidic technology and its application. And with the support of the Innovation Factory Raveen has patented the cutting-edge technologies developed during the discipline hop. 

“The discipline hop has been transformative to my research journey. It provided an invaluable platform to build a new network of clinical collaborators and equipped me with the skills and knowledge to secure a fellowship and focus on a deeply meaningful area of research,” Raveen explained.