Dr Phil Hexley

Director of the Flow Cytometry Core Facility, University of Nebraska Medical Center

"I remember my first day at Aberystwyth, a fresh-faced undergraduate student thinking what a fantastic opportunity lay before me. Eight years later I was completing my work as a PhD student and moving on to new adventures. Only recently have I come to appreciate how this exciting time in Aberystwyth opened up new opportunities to me.

I have fond memories of the time I was lucky to spend in Aberystwyth. Not only the educational opportunities, but the unique location of the University, and the camaraderie that comes from living and working in such an environment stays with you for life. A picture still hangs on my wall, taken on the north beach sea front, of friends watching the Sun setting in the bay. 

There are so many experiences I could talk about but the one that stands out is the opportunity to cultivate my presentation skills. First at local classes then building on this at national and international conferences. It is such a valuable skill and this experience was unforgettable. I felt very lucky to have such an involved and wonderful mentor throughout this time, Dr. Hazel Davey. Hazel was the single most significant person in me successfully completing my studies, and truly helped set my life in a direction I never really knew I could go.

I am now Assistant Professor in the Department of Pathology and Microbiology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, in the USA. There is no denying my life could have taken many paths. The opportunities and support that I had at Aberystwyth gave me the ambition to think big and the skills to act upon these."