A TALENTED graduate has become the youngest person in the UK to hold a PhD.

Imran Nasim from Burgess Hill has completed his PhD in Astrophysics at the University of Surrey, at the age of 22.

It makes him the youngest in the UK to hold such a qualification, and the youngest in the world to attain a PhD in the field of Astrophysics.

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His research into supermassive black holes has featured in the New York Times and earned him a place within a team at Harvard University in the US, working on a post-doctoral research project that begins this spring.

He said: "For me it was a natural progression as I started doing my A-level work in Maths, Physics and Biology when I was 13.

The Argus: Imran Nasim is the youngest person in the UK to have completed a PhDImran Nasim is the youngest person in the UK to have completed a PhD

"When I was doing my undergraduate degree I had a final year research project on black holes which led me on to my PhD research.

"I found it very exciting to study and investigate these phenomenons we see in our universe."

Imran now plans to apply his skills and knowledge to the field of medicine.

He said: "At Harvard I'm going to be doing work on an aggressive form of kidney cancer.

"Sadly I knew someone who had this form of cancer who passed away.

"I've always been interested in medicine but because of my age during my undergraduate degree, I was not able to access the medical labs, as you have to be 18. So I decided to study Astrophysics.

"While studying black holes is incredible, I feel it is not quite tangible enough, particularly with what's going on in the world right now.

"Putting my skills into something which could help the average person appeals to me, so to be able to find a project where I can utilise the transferable skills I have is really exciting."

Imran will set off to the US in April and hopes to apply for a fellowship at Harvard.

But he is happy to have some time off from studying in the mean time.

He said: "It's going to be a big move but I'm excited, especially after doing my PhD for the past year remotely - it's been cramped.

"My family are quite proud and also relieved."