Alsadeg Bilal

Alsadeg is a 6th-year MB-PhD student in his second year of a PhD in cancer biology. He grew up in Edinburgh and continues to live there with his family. Throughout his time at Edinburgh Medical School, he has been an active member of the community, contributing in several meaningful ways.
 

He co-founded one of the largest student-led neurosurgical research groups in the UK, bringing together over 60 medical students and trainee doctors. He also co-led the first Scottish Universities Neurology and Neurosurgery Conference in 2024, which welcomed speakers and attendees from around the world. 

Following this success, he and his colleagues established the Scottish Universities Neurological Society, now with over 200 members, to promote accessible career development opportunities across Scotland. 

In his research, Alsadeg has helped to establish a pioneering human glioblastoma slice culture pipeline in Edinburgh—one of the first robust systems worldwide using surplus neurosurgical tissue as a translational preclinical model. He currently works closely with Translational Neurosurgery in the Institute of Neuroscience and Cardiovascular Research, the EMERGE research nurses in NHS Lothian, Durrant labs in the Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences and the Pollard labs in the Institute of Regeneration and Repair.

Alsadeg’s peers describe him as inspiring, always encouraging them to strive to become the best versions of themselves, while supporting and creating opportunities for them along the way.