Egypt
Welcome to the Egypt page!
We are keen to provide our applicants with as much information as possible in order to make an informed decision about postgraduate study. As many of our international applicants will be arranging their own funding, we realise how important it is that you feel you are making the right choices.
In case you have any unanswered questions, we have identified a current postgraduate student to act as an ‘Ambassador’ for our Egyptian applicants.
We are pleased to introduce Rasha Soliman El Ghaba, a first year postgraduate student from Egypt.
Rasha is happy to answer any questions you may have, talk in general about her experiences, and offer any advice on the application process, scholarship opportunities and more!
You can email Rasha directly at rasha.el-ghaba@postgrad.manchester.ac.uk
Student Profile
Name: Rasha Soliman El Ghaba
From: Mansoura, Egypt
Degree course: PhD Neuroscience
Supervisor: Dr Enrico Bracci
PhD project title: Opioidergic control of striatal nitrergic LTS interneurons
What did you do before undertaking your PhD?
I graduated from Faculty of Medicine – Mansoura University – Egypt.
Why did you choose your degree/project/supervisor?
I think the nervous system is the most valuable system in our body. It gives us our uniqueness as human beings. Understanding how this system works will eventually help us to understand our real abilities.
Why did you decide to undertake a postgraduate course?
I am interested in scientific research. I wanted to work as scientific researcher in Neuroscience. So I needed to have the suitable qualifications that put me on the right path for my dream.
Please give a brief summary of your PhD project.
The striatum is the main input nucleus of the basal ganglia and is crucially involved in motor control and reward processing. This project will focus on the effect of opioids on different striatal neurons. Striatal projection neurons express either enkephalin or dynorphin, but the role of these opioid neurotransmitters is still poorly understood.
This is expected to advance our knowledge of how striatal circuits process cortical information to produce appropriate motor outputs in the healthy brain, as well as to provide novel information on how drugs of abuse such as heroin affect reward-mediated learning in this part of the brain.
Why did you choose Manchester?
Manchester is a friendly city. You never feel a stranger in it. There are a lot of different communities that give Manchester its cultural uniqueness.
What do you think of your PhD so far?
It is amazing. I am enjoying learning new things, knowing new people, making new friends.
What are facilities and resources like in the Faculty?
The labs, the library, the buildings, and administration. Everything is well prepared to help us to learn everything we need during our courses.
What does the University offer international students?
There are a lot of international students from different countries which make the international society inside Manchester University very rich!! You will never be alone. You always find students who share the same circumstances. The University provides support for international students. It provides many facilities for us like English courses.
How do you think studying here will help your future prospects? What are your future plans?
My future plans are to work as a post doc in my field. My study here will hopefully put me on the right track. It helps me to acquire needed knowledge and skills to start my future career.
What do you like about the city of Manchester?
Presence of that great mix of cultures, deep understanding of people living here, and respect for each other differences.
Anything else you would like to add?
I would advise anyone to come and study here. It is a great experience that they will enjoy.
Student Profile
Name: Naglaa Abu-Mandil
From: Egypt
Degree course: PhD Genetics
Supervisor: Professor Terry Brown
PhD project title: Molecular genetics of ancient Greek
Click for more...
What did you do before undertaking your PhD?
I worked as an Assistant Researcher at the National Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt.
Why did you decide to undertake a postgraduate course?
I decided to undertake postgraduate studies (PhD research) for my professional growth, in addition to broaden my horizon and better career opportunities. Fortunately, I got a scholarship from the Egyptian Ministry of Higher Education to fund my PhD in the UK, which enabled me to continue my education at a well-known and established University.
Why did you choose your degree/project/supervisor?
I chose to do my PhD on ancient DNA because as it is well known, that ancient Egypt history is full of mysterious questions and I am hoping that ancient DNA can be used to contribute and address some of these enigmatic questions. My supervisor Professor Terry Brown is an icon in ancient DNA studies.
Summary of your PhD project.
Ancient DNA has offered unprecedented opportunity for anthropologists and bio-archaeologists to assess the biological relationships of ancient population. The main aim of my project is to assess the family relationship among skeletons from two different archaeological sites in Greece, which it can help in shedding light on the ritual practice in Aegean prehistory. Another aim is to identify the sex of these skeletons genetically to confirm the conventional sexing methods. These sites are Kouphovouno site and Bostani site. Kouphovouno site is an important Neolithic and Bronze Age archaeological site in Lakonia, while Bostani site is dated back to The Early Helladic period in ancient Greek history.
Why did you choose Manchester?
Manchester is one of the largest cities in the UK and has all the facilities that makes it a good choice. Besides, it is a multi-cultural city.
What do you think of your PhD so far?
A PhD is not an easy task, you have to be determined, patient and the most important thing is, you have to be passionate about your project otherwise you are going to lose your motivation soon.
What are facilities and resources like in the Faculty?
There are many facilities in the Faculty of Life Sciences, which makes the research so easy. For example, the DNA sequencing facility, computer cluster in every building and photographic unit to print out posters, and other academic stuff.
What does the University offer international students?
There is an International Advice Team provided by the university to help and listen to you anytime.