Anna Rozina

E.P. Abraham Scholarship

Joining us from: Russia/Israel

DPhil in Medical Sciences (2023)

I’m a DPhil student in Medical Sciences, where my research sits at the intersection of innate immunity and viral infections. I’m fascinated by the first moments of cellular recognition: how our cells sense pathogens and other danger signals, and how those same pathways can sometimes misfire in disease. Day to day, that curiosity keeps me happily rooted in the lab — my project is sophisticated and genuinely tricky to crack, which makes it hard but fun.

I’ve been loving life at the institute and in my lab. The atmosphere is friendly and energizing, with the kind of support that makes you feel you can achieve anything. Receiving the scholarship has been transformative: it has made it possible for me to work alongside exceptional people and pursue my science with full focus, unconstrained by anything, in one of the best places in the world to do it.

Because my institute is a little far from St Cross, I’m not in college as often as I’d like. But I’ve made a few close friends, and those connections have genuinely warmed my heart.

Outside research, I’m part of the Oxford University Equestrian Club squad and am competing for Oxford this year. Training has ramped up, and I’m really enjoying it. Thanks to St Cross friends, I’ve also taken up crafting — my way to nurture my inner engineer.