Decade long journey to doctorate
"Graduating is a huge achievement and acknowledgement that all my hard work was worth it."
HARD work paid off for Kerryn Taylor who received a PhD in molecular biology at a recent graduation ceremony at UKZN.
“Graduating is a huge achievement and acknowledgement that all my hard work was worth it,” said Taylor. She said it was a long and arduous journey, during which time she kept her eye on the prize.
“When studying long-term over 10 years, it is always difficult to stay focused and motivated. I took it day-by-day and reminded myself that every small task completed was one step closer to achieving my goal of completing my PhD,” she said.
Dr Paula Sommer, who supervised Taylor during her honours, masters and doctoral research, described her as a meticulous, inquisitive, motivated scientist who generated a body of excellent data in the course of her PhD and has successfully published her work in high impact journals.
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Taylor entered the field of molecular biology because she wanted to use her passion to help people. “I loved biology at school and I had great hopes to help find a cure for cancer,” she said.
In 2013, Taylor was selected as the only delegate from the southern hemisphere to participate in the Inaugural Croucher Summer Course in Cancer Biology. She considers this to be her greatest achievement thus far.
She attributed her success to the unconditional encouragement and support of her parents, Ian and Marilyn Houston, her husband Russell Taylor, and supervisors Dr Paula Sommer and Dr Angus Macdonald.
She plans to continue her cancer research and hopefully make a discovery that could increase ones understanding of the disease and result in better therapies.
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