Mimi Mo

Christ Church 2003, DPhil in Pharmacology

When I was a first year undergraduate biochemist, I sent my resume to several research institutes and departments within the University because I wanted to gain more research experience. To my surprise, I was awarded the Departmental Bursary from the Department of Pharmacology to investigate the causes of neural tube defects. 

My research was presented at an annual conference in London, which was a great honour for an undergraduate. It led to more opportunities to learn from world-renowned developmental biologists and they sparked my curiosity in neurobiology.

Before I started my third year of undergraduate study I was offered a DPhil studentship to study neuronal cell death in Parkinson's disease. A DPhil degree certainly gives you more time and freedom to delve into areas that you find most fascinating. At Oxford, there are also a lot of opportunities to collaborate with other scientists – from Nobel laureates to rising stars.

I discovered a passion for science communication: contributing to medical publications and hosting podcasts. I once explained my research to patients with Parkinson's Disease and their families. The genuine excitement and appreciation we received in response really put our efforts into context: research affects people's lives.

After I graduated from my DPhil, I worked as a Post-doctoral Fellow at the University's Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics on a collaborative project with a pharmaceutical company. It was an eye-opener to work on gene therapy for Parkinson's disease and to consolidate the work I did as a DPhil student. When I changed career to become a management consultant, the analytical and inquisitive skills I developed at Oxford proved invaluable.

Oxford is a fostering ground for people to identify and maximize their potential. Engineering graduates could win Olympic medals for rowing and quantum physicists could be world-class ballroom dancers. The environment of the University is so encouraging that people do not have to conform to having just one identity. One's talents are celebrated and supported by fellow students and tutors.

I started documenting my observations during my first year as a DPhil student – on society, people, culture, and politics. What started out as a Chinese writing exercise became something that I desperately wanted to share with others. My articles were published by Ming Pao newspaper in Hong Kong and my first book was published in 2004. I now write a weekly column in the Hong Kong Economics Journal on American and European foreign affairs and culture.

There is more to Oxford than getting a good career start and a wide social network. It gives one the sense of responsibility to bring about impact and change. My goal is to work in crisis management one day, even though I anticipate a lot more learning (and failing) along the way. Lifelong learning can happen anywhere, but Oxford gave me the appetite to crave for more.