Anna Babin, MSc Equine Science

PhD student Kings College London based in Basel, Switzerland

"The best part about the MSc Equine Science at IBERS, Aberystwyth University was having the opportunity to challenge the conventional wisdom about many common equine practices in an environment where research and learning are encouraged with an open mind and a lively spirit.  For me, the MSc Equine Science course was both an academic trial and an intellectual triumph.  Indeed due to the wonderful volume of topics encompassed, budgeting adequate study time was the most difficult aspect of the course.  In the end, it not only vastly expanded my knowledge of equids, but also I greatly improved my personal time-management skills.

My home is in the USA and I studied for my first degree, BA (Hons) Psychology, at St Edwards University, Austin, Texas. At the conclusion of my postgraduate studies at Aberystwyth University, I accepted a PhD Pharmacology position with the Sackler Institute of Pulmonary Pharmacology at King’s College London, sponsored by Novartis Pharmaceuticals.  I am currently stationed at the Novartis Laboratories in Basel, Switzerland.  Here I work in an MRI facility dedicated to the study of preclinical models of pulmonary disease.  Because MRI is a non-invasive technique, each animal may be measured repeatedly, thus acting as its own control and creating a unique chronological sequence of pulmonary data.  My aim is to use such data to validate non-invasive imaging protocols in order to quantify the therapeutic effects of putative anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic drug compounds."

In the future, I hope the knowledge gained will benefit humans as well as horses, and I look forward to applying my understanding of non-invasive imaging techniques to an equine specific project in the UK or abroad.  In the meantime, I never miss a chance to saddle-up when the opportunity arises!"