Sophie Hanina

Sophie Hanina obtained her medical degree from Oxford University and her PhD from Cambridge University in the Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research Centre UK. Her PhD thesis was entitled “Identifying direct targets of individual microRNAs in mouse embryonic stem cells” which was funded by an MRC Doctoral Training Award in Professor Azim Surani’s Lab. During her PhD she tried to develop a new technique based on RNA sequencing to identify direct targets of individual microRNAs in mouse embryonic stem cells cells. In addition, her work helped to elucidate the role of a highly conserved microRNA in maintaining pluripotency of stem cells. This work was published in PLoS Genetics 2010.

Over the years, Sophie Hanina has received several awards. She received the Alpine Oncology Foundation Young Investigator Award in 2014. During her time at Oxford University, she was in the top decile and graduated with distinction in her BMBCh. She received the Matilda Tambyraja Prize in Obstetrics & Gynaecology for Best Written Performance in the academic year, was invited to the Prize Viva for the Laboratory Medicine examination, received Merits in Neurology, Obstetric & Gynaecology, Paediatrics, Laboratory Medicine and Psychiatry, and was awarded the Emery Prize and East Scholarship.

She is currently an Academic Clinical Fellow in Haematology at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust London. Her interest is in translational research using cellular therapies.