STUDENT Maimoona Ghanchi is on track to become a young doctor after winning a top award for her research.

The Bolton School student has achieved a Gold Crest Award for research she carried out into lung cancer in her own time.

Crest is a nationally recognised scheme that encourages young people to complete student-led projects in STEM subjects ­— science technology, engineering and maths.

Talking about why she chose this subject, she said: "At first I had some difficulty picking a topic. I had a few ideas of what I wanted to research, such as vaping and smoking, and that led me to look at lung cancer."

Maimoona linked her research to the wider world as well as looking at the causes of lung cancer, its stages and the treatments available.

She said: "It was difficult initially, but I enjoyed researching because it’s something I’m really interested in."

The assessors were impressed with Maimoona’s detailed project and her use of varied sources. They said in their feedback that she showed great understanding of the science as well as exploring the topic logically and conveying the information in a clear and accessible way.

Maimoona is studying biology, chemistry and geography at A-;evel and is interested in pursuing a career in medicine in the future.