Hands-On Genetics: Dr Amy Roberts Inspires GCSE and A-Level Students
11th November 2025 – by Dr Amy Roberts
Dr Amy Roberts, a Research Fellow in the Department of Twin Research, recently visited her previous Welsh medium secondary school in South Wales to host workshops with GCSE and A-level students. Thanks to a Public Engagement grant from the Genetics Society, students at the Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhondda used simulated data to explore the genetic risk of Alzheimer’s disease. The workshops not only gave the students a hands-on experience of answering a research question, but they aimed to increase aspirations to pursue further education through introducing career opportunities in scientific research.
Dr Roberts said:
“At school, I fell in love with genetics but I had no idea about what type of careers were available so I never envisioned that I could spend my life doing what I loved. Often when you are growing up in more deprived areas, you don’t know many people who have attended university, so you can miss out on a lot of information that your peers in other regions might have access to. For instance, all the pupils I spoke to were surprised to hear that PhD students receive funding to cover all fees and living expenses”.
Dr Roberts co-hosts similar workshops as part of the annual Widening Participation week at King’s College London, where A-level students from schools in Southeast London visit the university to hear about different careers. She was inspired to apply for grant funding to take the workshops to her hometown after learning that the number of university applications from Wales dropped to a 15-year low in summer 2025 and Wales has almost 10% fewer university applications compared to the UK average.
“Representation is a very powerful thing, particularly for younger people. I loved sharing my journey with the pupils and I hope they now know that if I can be a scientist then they can too. I am also certain that I wouldn’t be where I am today without the encouragement of the teachers at Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhondda – it was an honour to try to give something back.”