Member Profiles
5th December 2025
Deborah Agbakwuru MRSB talks T cells, immunity and encouraging schoolchildren into STEM, and Daisy Allen CSci MRSB on how a childhood love of Horrible Science led to a career in public health risk assessments in the water industry
A DAY IN THE LIFE
Deborah Agbakwuru MRSB is a doctoral researcher in immunology at the University of Montana, US
My alarm goes off…
Typically by 5:30, then I jump rope and go running when it’s not too cold. I get ready for the day and have breakfast. I live close to campus, so after breakfast I walk the 15 minutes to the lab.
My research involves…
Understanding the impact of trogocytosis on T cell receptor (TCR) affinity for major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-peptide ligands. That means I explore how the transfer of membrane fragments between cells can modulate immune signalling and shape T cell responses. It’s very hands-on work at the bench and I’m constantly learning.
On a typical day…
I visit the Laboratory Animal Resources (LAR) facility to dissect the spleen from one of my transgenic mice. I then go back to the lab to prepare the spleen and isolate T cells. I culture the T cells with antigen-presenting cells pulsed with peptides and analyse the T cells using flow cytometry. That’s the foundation of nearly everything I do in the laboratory. I also keep an inventory of my mice and antibodies, split cell cultures for continuity and troubleshoot experiments that don’t go as planned.
Every Thursday I teach the undergraduate immunology lab. I enjoy seeing students get hands-on with immunology experiments and gain confidence in new techniques.
I work with…
Some cool graduate students. Although we have different research interests, we meet once a week for lunch to catch up on our research and lives.
Outside the lab…
I volunteer with Letters to a Pre-Scientist, where I write letters to pupils in middle school in the US to inspire their curiosity in STEM. Breaking down my role in the laboratory and the science I do in language they can understand is challenging, but also exciting.
After work…
I go home – I love my room! I relax by going through social media, especially X, Instagram and YouTube. I’ve become hooked on spa and ‘a day in the life’ ASMR videos on YouTube. Sometimes I play them softly in the background while I’m doing some lab/school-related work at home as I find them calming.
CAREER LADDER
Daisy Allen CSci MRSB is a senior consultant for the Water Research Centre
Currently…
I work at the Water Research Centre (WRc) as a microbiologist. I have worked on a number of international and national projects related to public health risk assessments for potable and non-potable water applications, root-cause investigations of operational failures, and literature reviews of pathogens and nuisance organisms.
I first discovered biology….
When reading the Horrible Science magazines as a child. The miniature experiments it suggested – including culturing bacteria on a homemade agar plate – provided days of fun! The series not only provided me with my first microscope, but also an insight into how science can be absurd, and that fact can be more interesting than fiction. I enjoy reading books that explain how science can change the lives around us, one of my favourites being The Good Virus by The Biologist’s editor, Tom Ireland.
I studied...
Zoology (BSc) at Roehampton University and freshwater and marine ecology (MSc) at Queen Mary University of London. My postgraduate research interest was in microbial communities and using them as model systems to test ecological theory. After specialising in predator-prey dynamics within activated sludge communities and interacting with water industry professionals, I appreciated how a career in the sector could provide many opportunities for a biologist.
I always knew...
I would find satisfaction from applying science to the real world. And when a started working for WRc, I knew that I would spend most of my career talking about poo…
A pivotal point in my career was...
Achieving CSi status with the RSB, which recognises my contribution to the industry and commitment to being a scientist.
This is an interesting area to work in because...
I work with technical experts from a wide variety of backgrounds, such as toxicologists and chemical engineers. The water industry is an exciting interdisciplinary area to work in, with many challenges facing the sector, from understanding the risk associated with combined sewer overflows to improving treatment processes that remove pathogens from supply.
The best thing about my job is...
The variety of work, which includes anything from literature reviews and expert workshops to data analysis and conference presentations. As a consultant, there’s flexibility to develop service offerings and find relevant training to widen my depth of knowledge. I enjoy delivering projects that further environmental and/or public health, improving the quality of water for everyday life.
Not many colleagues will know...
That I was once a Christmas elf, helping the local grotto wrap and prepare presents for Santa to deliver.
In the future I hope to...
Offer courses in microbiology that are tailored to the water sector. I think it is important to provide specialised training and attract more scientists (biologists in particular!) to the industry.
In another life I’d be…
A marine biologist. I enjoyed studying Caretta caretta (loggerhead turtles) on the island archipelago of Cabo Verde, and working with local NGOs on their conservation projects during my MSc.
