Hello! My name is Nadia Tavakoli, and I am one of the BILT Student Fellows for this year.
I will be focusing on the theme of ‘Research-rich Teaching and Learning,’ and am honoured to be working alongside Emma as Co-Editor-in-Chief of the BILT Student Research Journal (SRJ) and co-organiser of the Student Research Conference.
My path into research began far from Bristol — as an international student who left home and everything familiar to pursue a PhD in Translational Health Sciences. Those early days were both exciting and daunting, but I was fortunate to find myself in a team that was not only scientifically brilliant but also incredibly kind and supportive. That sense of belonging shaped how I see research today: not just as a collection of experiments or publications, but as a community built on curiosity, collaboration, and care.
My doctoral research focuses on developing gene therapy approaches for chronic kidney diseases, but beyond the science, it has taught me something deeper — that research is most powerful when it’s shared, when it inspires others, and when it opens doors for those who come after us. Through my teaching and mentoring roles — from guiding medical students in case-based learning to demonstrating lab techniques for biochemistry and biomedical sciences — I’ve seen how much students grow when they are trusted to explore, question, and create.
That is exactly what the SRJ and Conference stand for: they are spaces where students can see themselves as researchers, storytellers, and innovators. This year, I hope to make these platforms even more inclusive and empowering — a place where every student, regardless of discipline or background, feels confident to share their work and proud to call themselves a researcher.
If you’d like to get involved with the Student Research Journal or Conference — as an author, editor, or reviewer — I would love to hear from you. You can reach me by email (rw22676@bristol.ac.uk) or connect with me on LinkedIn.
Let’s make this year’s SRJ and Conference not just an event, but a celebration of student voices, ideas, and journeys.
