As a young girl, I was a curious person and my mother encouraged me to have a career in STEM; she has a master’s in organic chemistry and helped develop my interest in science. It was fun to learn how the world works as a child!

In 2008, I lost my father due to cancer. His struggles inspired me to carry out cancer research, especially in the early detection of cancer. Since then, I have been proactive in the field of biomedical applications of vibrational spectroscopy for the early detection of oral cancer.

As a research fellow, my primary responsibility is to carry out a given research project as independently as possible, with the intention of becoming an independent researcher. Logistically, I handle the administrative issues of the project and liaise with the funding agency. Since the project involves planning, coordinating, and implementing processes with pathologists/clinicians for sample collection and cytological and histopathological assessment, I liaise with them too. In addition, I supervise, train, and support PhD or undergraduate students. Finally, I am responsible for maintaining and ordering the required laboratory equipment.

In 2010, the Department of Science and Technology of the Government of India awarded me with a prestigious Women Scientist Scheme research fellowship. I received this independent grant just after finishing my master’s degree, and I successfully carried out the project without any formal research training. I consider this one of my greatest accomplishments to date.

During my PhD, I carried out pioneering work using oral single cells and Raman spectroscopy. This was a step forward to translating Raman spectroscopy into clinics, and I consider this to be my other greatest accomplishment.

Recently, the Irish Research Council awarded me a post-doctoral fellowship, which will boost my career to become an independent researcher. This is also among the greatest achievements of my career.

Previously, I had not felt supported in my career. But even though it felt as though things were against me, I kept confidence in myself. I faced all the challenges in relation to my projects, completing them successfully.

Being female, it is necessary to have confidence in yourself, as there are many people to pull you down. It does not matter what others think about you; it is important that you believe in yourself and take leaps in life.

Isha Behl
Research Fellow, Trinity College Dublin (TCD) and Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin)
Born in India / Resides in Ireland
Educational Background: M.Tech (Integrated) Biotechnology, D Y Patil University, Navi Mumbai, India; PhD in Biomedical Application of Raman Spectroscopy for Early Detection of Oral Cancer, Technological University Dublin, Ireland