The Futures Fund: Jack's story
BSc Biopharmaceutical Science student Jack Bannister graduated in 2021 with a First, and with a desire to pursue a career as a research chemist, studying his PhD at the University of Manchester, one of the most prestigious chemistry schools in the UK.
The Futures Fund supported Jack financially to begin his PhD developing new methods of bio-conjugation, a new cutting edge technology used in oncology drugs and treatments.
Jack says: “My PhD programme, ‘Metal free arylation of biological systems’, is the only paid PhD position for bioconjugation chemistry in the country, therefore it was extremely competitive.
“Through the Futures Fund I was able pay for my first term in student accommodation, which I would have had pay my on a credit card and it would have taken at least a year to pay off. The Fund stopped me from having to take up weekend employment which would have been detrimental to my progress as a PhD student.
“The support of the Futures Fund has served as a springboard to my dream career as a research and development scientist in the field of bioconjugation. Hopefully I will become Dr Jack Bannister in 2026!”