Higher Radiation Protection Scientist – Ashveny Ashok

Ashveny holds an MBBS from Xi’an Jiaotong Medical University and an MSc in Stem Cell Engineering from the University of Glasgow. She transitioned from clinical medicine into radiation research and now works as a Higher Radiation Protection Scientist at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), where she combines laboratory science with public health protection.

How did you get your job in radiation protection?

My career has always been driven by a core personal value: prevention is better than cure. During my medical training, I learned how to treat illness, but I became increasingly drawn to the idea of preventing harm before it happens.

While completing my MSc at the University of Glasgow, I became fascinated by the molecular mechanisms of disease and developed strong research skills in laboratory science. Over time, my focus shifted from treating individual patients to protecting communities on a larger scale. I began exploring how my background in medicine and molecular biology could contribute to national safety and preparedness.

This led me to UKHSA, where I now work in biological dosimetry and radiation research. Instead of treating one patient at a time, my work helps develop safety standards and emergency response tools that protect the wider population. It’s a role I didn’t even know existed when I began medical school, but it allows me to combine science, prevention, and public service in a meaningful way.

What does the role involve?

My work at the UKHSA is a blend of laboratory science and public health strategy. Because my role is focused on national protection, I am often balancing long-term research with immediate safety goals. Some of the things I do include:

• Identifying biological markers (biomarkers) that act as signatures in the body, allowing us to accurately identify if someone has been exposed to ionising radiation.
• Improving biological dosimetry by working with human samples. This allows us to use biology to estimate radiation doses, providing a more personal and accurate safety assessment.
• Developing a biodosimetry assay for emergency response, which involves creating rapid, reliable biological tests that can be used quickly during a radiological incident to help medical teams triage and treat people effectively.
• Writing scientific reports and research papers that translate complex lab data into evidence that informs national safety guidance.
• Ensuring regulatory compliance, making sure all our research and laboratory practices strictly follow UK safety regulations like IRR17.
• Collaborating with a multidisciplinary team, from fellow scientists and doctors to policy experts, to ensure our research is turned into real-world protection for the community.

I spend most of my time moving between the laboratory, the office, and meetings. Whether I am at a bench performing molecular analysis, attending conferences to share our findings with the global scientific community, the goal is always the same, using science to keep people safe.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

The ability to prevent problems in a larger scale. In clinical medicine, I was only giving individual care to specific set of people, but in radiation science, I am looking at the molecular level to protect millions of people you may never meet.

What makes the role exciting is its variety:

• The cutting-edge lab work: Performing precise molecular techniques such as RNA extraction and PCR.
• National Impact: Knowing that my manuscripts and data help shape how the UK responds to radiological risks.
• Constant Learning & Collaboration: Collaborating globally with multidisciplinary teams of scientists, doctors, and policymakers keeps the work intellectually stimulating and ensures our science has real world impact.

Tell us about three challenges facing your sector today.

1. Global preparedness and response
Radiological events do not respect national borders. Strengthening international coordination, harmonising biodosimetry methods, and ensuring rapid dose assessment capacity worldwide remain major challenges particularly in low-resource settings.

2. Advancing biological dosimetry science
Understanding the long-term biological effects of low-dose and mixed radiation exposures is still an active area of research. Improving the sensitivity, accuracy, and scalability of biomarker-based dose assessment is critical for both emergency response and occupational health monitoring.

3. Integrating multidisciplinary expertise
Modern radiation protection increasingly requires collaboration between clinicians, molecular biologists, physicists, data scientists, and policymakers. Building a workforce that can operate across these disciplines and translate complex data into evidence-based decisions is essential for future resilience.

In what way is your degree relevant to the role?

My medical degree gave me a deep understanding of human biology, disease mechanisms, and how radiation can affect organs and tissues. It trained me to think critically about health risks and make evidence-based decisions skills that are essential in radiation protection. My Master’s degree in Stem Cell Engineering for Regenerative Medicine strengthened my laboratory expertise. I gained hands-on experience in molecular biology techniques such as PCR, cell culture, and gene expression analysis, which I now use in developing and improving biological dosimetry methods.

What are your career ambitions?

I want to use science to strengthen global radiation safety and public health preparedness. My goal is to develop practical, accessible tools that help protect people before harm occurs. Ultimately, I hope to play a leadership role in building a future where radiation is used responsibly, safely, and with the wellbeing of future generations in mind.

What advice would you offer to others?

• Be brave enough to change direction: Switching from clinical medicine to research felt intimidating, but growth often sits just outside your comfort zone. The skills you build along the way are rarely wasted they evolve with you.
• Never lose your curiosity: Ask “why?” constantly. The scientists who make the biggest impact are the ones who look beyond instructions and truly understand the science behind what they do.
• Start before you feel ready: Join professional societies, volunteer, attend events, speak to people in the field. You don’t have to have everything figured out momentum builds confidence.

“The greatest breakthrough aren’t always seen they are the ones that prevent the crisis from ever happening”