Ben Finnin

PhD student, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

A positive experience while working at the Centre for Drug Candidate Optimisation at Monash inspired pharmaceutical scientist Ben Finnin to pursue a career in research.

Currently doing his PhD in the exciting field of stem cell pharmacology, Ben says his research has made him more critical about what he reads in professional journals. "I now look very carefully at journal papers, dissecting methods, results and discussion, and still find myself questioning the results presented in some articles."

After doing his honours on drug metabolism, Ben switched to the study of functional stem biology, in a field he describes as "booming". Guidance from his supervisor has played an important part in his research success.

"My primary supervisor has had major impacts upon myself and my research. On an almost daily basis I chat with him regarding experiments and results. We have a regular monthly meeting to discuss the bigger picture of the research and every three months I present my results to the research group."