London to the lab: How an internship shaped Grace O'Malley experience abroad

When Grace O’Malley, a biology major at Notre Dame, hit send on an email to 20 professors she’d never met, she wasn’t sure what to expect. She certainly couldn’t have known that one of those emails would lead to an inspirational experience at Cambridge University that would shape both her academic and personal path.

A shot in the dark

Grace knew she wanted to take part in an internship while studying in London and was eager to find one that aligned with her research interests. Months before arriving in the UK, she combed through Cambridge’s faculty pages and identified professors working in areas that excited her, considering opioid addiction and drug discovery research especially. She crafted a thoughtful email introducing herself, outlining her background, and explaining her hope to gain lab experience.

“It felt like a shot in the dark,” she admitted. “I wasn’t sure if Notre Dame’s name would carry weight in the UK or if anyone would even read my email.”

Just when she started to doubt her efforts, an email landed in her inbox.

“It was from Professor Dalley, the head of the Psychiatry Department, whose lab focused on attentional psychomotor stimulant drug discovery and research,” Grace said. “He invited me for a Zoom interview, and things really fell into place from there!”

Learning in the lab

Each Monday, Grace made the train journey from London to Cambridge, a trip that soon became one of her favorite parts of the week. As the city came into view, she felt a shift—Cambridge exuded a quiet, intellectual energy that contrasted with London’s vibrant bustle.

“Cambridge felt peaceful, like I was stepping into a different place,” Grace reflected. “It was a calm oasis in comparison to London.”

Her time in the lab was equally different to her time in class. She shadowed Livia, a postdoctoral researcher from the Netherlands, as she performed delicate staining procedures and analysis on corpus callosum brain tissue slides.

“The work was intimidating and difficult; but at the end of each day, I left beaming with pride in the skills I was building and the progress I had made.”

Within weeks, Grace’s skills were rapidly developing. She learned to use an electron microscope to study neural pathways and worked on coding scripts in R to analyze data sets.

“I came in knowing nothing about coding,” Grace confessed. “But by the end of the semester, I could write scripts to identify patterns in our data. It felt incredible to make substantial contributions to a team I admired so deeply.

Memorable moments

One memorable evening, Grace was invited with the rest of the lab members for dinner at The Eagle, a historic pub famous for its ties to scientific breakthroughs. Sitting in the same room where Watson and Crick once announced their discovery of DNA’s double-helix structure, Grace felt a profound sense of connection to the scientific community.

“What made the experience so special was the people,” Grace said. “Researchers in the lab were from all over the world, and they were all equally good-humored and welcoming as they were brilliant. It made the whole experience unforgettable.”

A clearer vision for the future

By the end of her internship, Grace had not only gained invaluable hands-on experience but also a clearer sense of her future.

“Before, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to pursue postgraduate studies,” reflects Grace.” Now, I know I want to continue research, possibly back here in the UK.”

Her time in Professor Dalley’s lab solidified her passion for neuroscience and proved she could thrive in a rigorous academic environment.

“Working in Professor Dalley’s lab solidified my interest in neuroscience,” she said. “It also showed me that I can thrive in a rigorous academic environment.”

Beyond her lab work, Grace also got a taste of the sense of community at St Edmund's College, Cambridge, where Notre Dame has a close partnership. St Edmund’s offers master's programs available to Notre Dame alumni, and serves as a connection point for Notre Dame graduates pursuing further studies at Cambridge. Grace spent an afternoon there meeting fellow students, postgraduates, and staff. This connection further deepened her appreciation for the academic environment and the welcoming intellectual community St. Edmund's offers.

Advice for fellow students

Looking back, Grace is grateful for the courage it took to send those first emails.

“This was one of the most formative experiences of my college career,” she said.

Her advice to other students?

“Just send the email. I firmly believe that doing things by yourself and by yourself will be immensely fulfilling both academically and personally. And sometimes the most rewarding journeys are the ones you never planned for.”

Notre Dame’s study abroad programs offer endless opportunities for exploration and growth.