Researcher perspectives: Aaron Mitchell

Aaron Mitchell is one of our PhD students. He is exploring the relationship between obesity and colorectal cancer progression using genetic epidemiology and cell biology. He is supervised by Professors Lavinia Paternoster, Emma Vincent, Gibran Hemani and Richard Martin.

In July 2026 we spoke to Aaron about his academic journey, his PhD and what motivated him to start researching the genetics of cancer.

Starting out in a pandemic – what made you decide to do a PhD?

I didn’t originally plan on a career in research. I thought I would complete my undergraduate degree and start looking for a job. That all changed when I started my final-year dissertation project, which led to a publication.

Starting my dissertation coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic and restricted what I was able to do. It excluded the possibility of doing any lab work and left me only with what I could achieve on my laptop.

Despite the circumstances being limited, I found working on my project very fulfilling, especially immersing myself in the scientific literature. This led me to a master’s degree and subsequently the PhD I am now pursuing.

Research focus – does obesity affect cancer outcomes?

My research sits at the intersection of genetic epidemiology and laboratory science. I am looking at how obesity influences outcomes for people with colorectal cancer.

Colorectal cancer is one of the few cancers that is becoming more common in younger adults. Rates of colorectal cancer are rising in people under the age of 50 and we don’t yet know why. The biological mechanisms driving this trend remain poorly understood.

My PhD investigates the biological pathways that could explain how obesity affects colorectal cancer, especially in relation to survival. My work focuses on identifying proteins that could act as biomarkers for disease progression or even become targets for future treatments.

I am also studying how different patterns of fat storage in the body may influence a patient’s prognosis. The aim of this part of my research is to support more personalised approaches to cancer care.

Progress so far – exploring proteins to understand cancer

Some of my research builds on work carried out by a previous PhD student in our department at Bristol, Emma Hazelwood. Emma was looking at proteins that change following weight loss in young adults.

I am now investigating these proteins in greater depth, linking population-level genetic data with what happens inside colorectal cancer cells. By combining advanced statistical methods with cell biology, I hope to uncover biological mechanisms that could eventually be translated into clinical practice.

Potential impact – understanding cancer to improve care

The potential impact of my research extends beyond improving our understanding of disease. I hope that identifying new proteins involved in colorectal cancer progression could help us discover novel therapeutic targets.

A therapeutic target is a biological molecule (such as a protein) in the body that a medication interacts with to treat a disease. The drug targets this protein and can block or activate it to change the course of the illness.

In some cases, existing drugs might even be repurposed to act on proteins, potentially speeding up the path from discovery to patient benefit.

Clinically relevant research – supporting healthcare professionals

Although much of my day-to-day work involves analysing data, I am very motivated by the real-world implications of my research. At the start of my PhD, I completed a mini project which involved shadowing clinicians. Listening to their experiences reinforced for me the importance of understanding cancer biology and highlighted the challenges faced by healthcare professionals treating patients.

Those experiences helped shape the direction of my research and strengthened my commitment to ensuring its clinical relevance. Having also seen the impact of cancer on members of my own family, I’m passionate about research that can ultimately improve patient outcomes.

“It’s nice to be involved with stuff that has a clear translational clinical benefit.”

Looking ahead

Looking ahead, my immediate focus is completing my thesis and contributing to a forthcoming research paper that combines epidemiological and laboratory findings from my team’s work.

Beyond his PhD, I hope to continue bridging the gap between genetic data and experimental biology. I would say that is my “niche”.

Whether that future lies in academia or industry remains an open question. I’m aware of the challenges of building a long-term academic career, but I’m also keen to continue pursuing translational cancer research and am considering postdoctoral opportunities, potentially overseas.

Whatever path I choose, I want to continue deepening our understanding of cancer biology and helping to translate scientific discoveries into benefits for patients and the clinicians who care for them.