Katy Linkens

I am a research scientist with broad experience across industry, clinical science, and academia. My areas of specialty include gene therapy and genetic medicine. Throughout my career I have taken on additional roles that develop my mentorship, leadership, and project management skills.

In particular, at UCL I have enjoyed organising research symposiums and technical workshops to promote collegiality and industry connections. I am currently writing up my PhD thesis, while looking for my next role to move into.

iPSC and Gene Therapy Specialist – Finalizing PhD in Biotechnology. Developing nucleic acid delivery platforms for clinical translation, using peptide-targeting nanocomplexes and iPSC models.

Technical Expertise – Independently optimizing protocols across cell culture and molecular biology.

Start-Up Experience – Early employee (fifth hire) at gene therapy start-up Purespring Therapeutics, followed by experience preparing PhD work for commercialization in UCL spinout Ocusphere Therapeutics.

Data Analysis and Visualization – Analysis of large-scale omics datasets, using R, Excel, GraphPad, Illustrator.

Communication – Presented complex research to international conferences, funding panels, and patient groups.

Leadership – Chaired the early careers researcher committee, led organization of 150-attendee symposium.

Collaboration – Experienced in cross-functional projects spanning industry, academia, and clinical research,

Grant Contributions – secured funding through persuasive proposal writing.

PhD Researcher / Research Assistant. (Apr 2022 – present)

University College London, Institute of Ophthalmology

Extended my PhD research through a funded Research Assistant role.

Experimental Design: Developed and optimized robust protocols for nucleic acid delivery, iPSC generation, iPSC- RPE culture, and downstream functional assays, practicing in-depth technical troubleshooting.

Data Analysis: Analysed complex data (including RNA-seq) using Excel, R, GraphPad Prism. Created clear visualizations with Adobe Illustrator and BioRender.

Outcome-Driven: Contributed to publications and successful grant applications. Preparing first-author manuscripts.

Collaboration: Partnered with national and international labs to deliver joint research outcomes.

Teamwork: Implemented novel research protocols and projects, transferring expertise to team members.

Communication: Presented at international conferences and engaged industry professionals to establish knowledge-transfer collaborations.

Commercial Experience: Provided consultancy to biotech spin-out, OcuSphere Therapeutics.

Mentorship: Supervised MSc student (First-Class dissertation) and guided project development toward publication. Supervised technician to generate isogenic iPSC line.

Advanced Training: Granted Researcher Status at the Francis Crick Institute, receiving advanced research training and access to cutting-edge core facilities.

Time Management: Balanced multiple projects to meet tight deadlines and maintain consistent productivity.