Crossing the disciplinary divide
How Harding alumna Sarah Sandor has championed collaboration at Cambridge and beyond
The Harding Distinguished Postgraduate Scholars Programme was established in February 2019 thanks to a generous donation from the David and Claudia Harding Foundation, the biggest single gift made to a university in the UK by a British philanthropist.
Available to exceptional students in any field of study and from all over the world, the Programme facilitates global learning and cross-disciplinary collaboration.
Sarah Sandor’s (Churchill 2020) PhD in microbial ecology at the Department of Plant Sciences combined elements of biology and chemistry, and Cambridge’s wide range of extracurriculars provided the opportunity to blend her passion for science with drama, outreach, and travel.
Sarah cherishes the Harding Scholarship not solely for its invaluable funding, but also for the community it provided so far away from home.
Cambridge: a new frontier
Before arriving for her PhD, Sarah had not visited Europe, let alone Cambridge.
“I'm from rural Canada. I left the countryside to do my undergraduate and Masters' degrees at McMaster University in Ontario.”
Sarah’s undergraduate degree opened her mind to interdisciplinary approaches.
“In the McMaster Arts & Science Program, I took a variety of arts and science courses, ranging from philosophy and theatre to molecular biology and genetics.”
During her Masters, Sarah began to refine her focus: “I chose mushroom ecology as I wanted to use genetic tools to address ecological questions and mushrooms were my organism of interest.”
Sarah knew that Harding Scholarship at Cambridge would be the perfect fit for her PhD.
“I saw that it was an interdisciplinary scholarship: the Harding Distinguished Postgraduate Scholars Programme aims to bring scholars together from different fields to talk and share ideas.”
Finding a community in Cambridge
Sarah’s arrival to Cambridge was less than ideal: “I moved to Cambridge during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. I had to quarantine in my College room for two weeks.”
Cambridge’s academic reputation excited Sarah, whilst also making her apprehensive.
“I knew there were going to be loads of bright people. Coming from a small town in Ontario, I found that quite intimidating.”
But the Harding community soon helped her to feel at home. “Every year the Harding Scholars have a Christmas dinner together.
"There was a bi-weekly seminar series to expand our learning. The Programme also organised punting and a trip to the Fitzwilliam Museum to meet some of the curators of an exhibition.”
“We even did a retreat up to the Lake District for two nights.
"There were so many fun activities, including kayaking and gorge scrambling. It was just the best week ever!”
The informal network of Harding Scholars broadened Sarah’s interdisciplinary perspective. “I met a scholar from the Archaeology Department and discovered she was using the same genetic tools that I use to study bacteria.
“I never expected to find such a close connection between two completely different subjects!”
Discoveries outside of the lab
Cambridge allowed Sarah to combine her scientific research with somewhat unconventional interests.
“I was part of Cambridge University Science Improv: a group of scientists who got together to do improvisational theatre. They ran courses where you could learn new techniques.”
Through her extracurricular activities, Sarah was also able to share her passion for science with the public.
“I helped with some of the Cambridge Botanic Garden’s outreach activities because I enjoy teaching. It was fun to talk to members of the public about the University’s research.
“At the Festival of Plants, I spoke about a Cambridge Conservation Institute project in the Fens. I spoke to a farmer who lives in the Fens, and I could tell he had a strong personal connection to the issue.
"He gave me insight into the human aspect of the project and how it related to local people.”
Sharing knowledge and stories took place in all kinds of settings at Cambridge, not least at formal halls and dinners.
“I attended the Founders Feast at Churchill. I sat next to Electra Nemon, who had a connection to the Rolling Stones and grew up with Winston Churchill’s children! She told me stories about her childhood, and she was genuinely interested in hearing about my research.”
Learning curves and informing future research
The Harding Scholarship allowed Sarah to complete her studies and experience Cambridge without worrying about her finances.
“Having that money available to enhance my PhD experience was a huge support. It allowed me to buy a new laptop and attend international conferences related to my research.”
Sarah’s PhD research focused on freshwater bacteria: "These microbes are important decomposers at the base of the aquatic food web and play a key role in the global carbon cycle.
"Using several model species, I tested how bacteria respond to diverse organic matter substrates in terms of which genes they express and how the bacteria evolve over time.
"I further examined how the microbes were consuming and modifying the organic matter over the course of the experiment.”
Sarah learnt about new areas of study. “Even though my PhD project was biology-related, it had a large organic chemistry component.
"It was great because I got to learn techniques from both subjects.”
This endeavour did not come without challenges. “In my first preliminary experiment, the bacteria didn’t grow as I expected.
"It was disappointing, but it allowed me to make some changes for the main evolution experiment that ran for fourteen weeks.”
Her research has a wider implication on discussions around climate change: “I believe this experiment is the first of its kind.
"I hope to provide a little piece in the puzzle to understand how aquatic bacteria might respond in the face of climate change.”
An enduring exploration
Thanks to support from her Cambridge PhD supervisor, Sarah is continuing her research in Germany.
“I’m doing a postdoc at the Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment at the University of Oldenburg.”
She is sharing her insights from Cambridge and learning from her colleagues’ expertise.
“The group here is fantastic because they’re experts in biogeochemistry, which has been really helpful to get some insight into my analysis.”
Looking to the future, Sarah has been inspired by the knowledge-sharing and collaborative approach at Cambridge.
“I have been considering teaching at university level or a career in outreach and science communications.”
The wide range of academic disciplines at Cambridge has enabled Sarah to learn from multiple fields and broadened her approach to working in and communicating science.
Thanks to the Harding Distinguished Postgraduate Scholars Programme, Sarah joined a diverse community of talented individuals from an array of disciplines.
The Scholarship’s funding not only proved crucial to Sarah’s research but allowed her to make the most out of the Cambridge experience, which she will go on to share with the world.