Zoe Whiteley

Final year PhD student at UCL, studying the microfluidic production of nanogels for non-viral gene therapy. First class honours graduate with Master of Pharmacy from UCL. 

Locum Pharmacist, Boots Pharmacy, October 2020 - present. 

I originally began working at Boots as a store-based pharmacist on Sundays in Kings Road, London. I worked as a store-based pharmacist for one year before deciding to become a locum pharmacist, travelling to various pharmacies and covering shifts. As a locum pharmacist, I must be adaptable and willing to acclimatise to various different working environments. Typical responsibilities of a locum pharmacist include; accuracy checking of prescriptions, managing patients on a walk-in basis, delivering flu-jabs and vaccinations, counselling patients on their medications and also managing the pharmacy at all times. 

Hourly Paid Lecturer, University of East London, January 2022 - present.

I am responsible for delivering the lectures in the Biopharmaceutical drug delivery module for the final year students of the Pharmaceutical sciences undergraduate programme. This year was the first time running such a module, and thus I was involved in liaising with the module leader to design course content, delivering lectures on a weekly basis and handling coursework and examinations for the module. 

Student Residence Advisor (SRA), July 2019 - present.

The role of an SRA is held by a postgraduate at the university whereby we live alongside  undergraduate and postgraduate students in a halls of residence environment. As a team, we are responsible for providing wellbeing advice to students and encouraging a pleasant living environment for all. We must be able to assist students with any queries they may have, which range from maintenance problems to them needing someone to talk to. 

Demonstrator, University College London (UCL) - October 2018 - present

I assist with the laboratory practicals in the undergraduate, masters and QP diploma courses in the Department of Pharmaceutics at UCL. The role requires the demonstrator to assist students in their laboratory practical sessions by providing guidance and practical assistance. 

OSCE assessor, University College London (UCL) - October 2018 - present 

I assist the Department of Practice and Policy in the OSCE practical assessments for undergraduate pharmacists. This role requires a qualified pharmacist to conduct individual examinations with students and involves substantial responsibility and preparation in order to treat students fairly during their examination process. 

Pre-registration Pharmacist, Birmingham Children's Hospital - July 2017 - October 2018

I completed my pre-registration year at Birmingham Children’s Hospital whereby I successfully gained my registration as a Pharmacist July 2018. Paediatric pharmacy is an immensely challenging environment, requiring the careful application of clinical knowledge and the ability to think outside of the box in order to tailor medicines to the individual patient. Throughout my time here I was able to gain knowledge through additional placements at Green Light community pharmacy, University Hospital Birmingham, Birmingham Women’s Hospital and Forward Thinking Birmingham mental health service.

Current EPSRC funded PhD student at UCL (expected completion is January 2023)

Currently undertaking a PhD in gene delivery at University College London from October 2018 to present. The project is fully funded by the Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC). This project involves designing microfluidic systems for the production of nanogels as non-viral gene delivery vectors. This has given me a wide range of experience, from engineering microfluidic reactors to testing the function of gene therapy vectors on cells and in vivo.

University College London (UCL), Master of Pharmacy (MPharm), 2013-2017

First Class Honours

University of Milan | November 2016 – February 2017

I conducted a semester abroad on a research project entitled, ‘Application of Quality by Design principles to optimise the properties of scored orodispersible tablets.’ The work was presented at the PBP 11th World Meeting in Granada, March 2018 (poster presentation)

Wales High School | 2006-2013

A Level results; Chemistry A, Sports Studies A, Biology B, History B

GCSE results; Mathematics A*, English A, English Literature A, Chemistry A*, Biology A, Physics A, Spanish A*, History A*, IT A*, Additional Mathematics B, Sports Studies A*