A Little Life SC1ence at the KHP Cancer Biobank

What is it like to see your workplace through someone else’s eyes? 

For two weeks this summer, 24 young people took part in My Life SC1ence 2026, a work experience programme commissioned by Southwark and Lambeth Councils in partnership with SC1 London and King’s Health Partners. The programme was designed to introduce young people to the huge range of careers available across health and life sciences, right here in south London. 

And we got to be a small part of it. 

1. Day one, or rather, tour number one 

Our first contribution to the programme was the opening of our doors at the KHP Cancer Biobank to invite the group for a behind-the-scenes look of our lab. 

Without prior knowledge, stepping into a Biobank can understandably evoke feelings of the unknown. Lots of samples, lots of science, and a lot of very serious looking equipment. So we decided to make the tours as hands-on, conversational and relaxed as possible. 

Across our two Biobank tours, the group got to see the journey of a sample and how it supports cancer research. From sample processing and tissue preparation to microscopy, slide scanning and the technology that helps researchers make sense of what they are seeing. We talked through everything. 

There were plenty of questions, which is always a good sign (mostly). 

It was also a chance to show that working in science doesn't necessarily spending the entirety of your day in a lab. There are technicians, researchers, data analysts, engagement professionals, project managers and so many other people involved in making research happen. 

Science is multifaceted and its careers reflect that too. 

2. The career paths we don’t always talk about 

One of my favourite parts of the programme was hearing from our Senior Outreach Manager, who spoke with the group to share her career journey. 

It would have been easy to present a neat and perfectly linear retrospective story, instead she shared the unedited version. The twists, changes, opportunities and decisions that eventually led her to where she is now. 

I think that is really important. 

Whether you're 16, 18 or 24 (or even 44), it can feel like everyone else around you has their life figured out. You have to be intentional, know what you want to do, what degree you need to get there, what job you want and have a five-year plan ready to go. 

In reality, a lot of career journeys are much messier than that. 

3. Tuesday 28 July, 11am: speed mentoring 

Mentors were arranged to speak to three participants at a time through a series of short conversations for ten minutes each. No preparation, no slides, just people talking about work and life. 

I really enjoyed this. 

I spoke about my own route into community engagement, outreach and public involvement, what it's like working at the Biobank and helping bridge the gap between research, patients and the public. 

It was also a good reminder that there are so many ways into health and life sciences that you might not hear about in formal education. 

Whilst I will never discourage career mapping, I will always encourage that you do not necessarily need to have your entire career mapped out and that it's okay to diverge from your initial goals and reinvent them. Sometimes you just need to be curious, say yes to an opportunity and see where it takes you. 

4. Lights, camera, Biobank 

Then came a special request. 

Could the group film in our labs for their end of project video? 

Absolutely. 

Once again, we opened the Biobank doors, this time with the cameras rolling. Watching the participants move around the space with their own ideas, suggestions and perspectives was brilliant. The lab transformed from a workplace into a film set. 

The group also interviewed two of my colleagues for their podcast, giving them the chance to ask more considered questions about what they do and their experience of working in the health and life sciences sector. 

It was encouraging to see the participants take ownership of the conversations rather than being spoon-fed information. They were not just following what they had been told to do for their project, they were actively engaging with the project brief, had their own artistic direction and embraced the 'other' spaces that they were in.  

5. And then, it was over 

The programme ended with a celebration, bringing everyone back together to recognise what the participants had achieved. 

There was a chance to hear directly from the young people involved, see the short films they had created and celebrate what they had produced over the two weeks. 

Honestly, it was a pretty great reminder of why programmes like My Life SC1ence matter and should continue to exist. 

It's easy to talk about creating opportunities for young people. It's another thing altogether to actually facilitate that pathway, open your doors, let them look around, ask questions, meet people and have a go themselves. 

For us at the KHP Cancer Biobank, being part of the programme was a chance to share a little bit of our reality in the hope of shaping a future. Being open to new perspectives can make you stop and think about yours differently. 

And maybe that's the whole point. 

My Life SC1ence is about showing young people that there is a place for them in the health and life sciences. Not just as scientists, but as communicators, creatives, technicians, researchers, organisers, problem-solvers and people who bring completely different experiences to the table. 

We are really proud to be a part of that journey.