Student from Peterborough reaches the semi-finals of BBC's University Challenge
A PHD student from Peterborough has made it through to the semi-finals of BBC’s University Challenge.
Rahim Dina, from Fletton, is studying for a PHD in ecology and evolution at Imperial College London. The 28 year-old also completed a biology degree at Sheffield Hallam university.
He and his three college team mates appeared in an episode broadcast on BBC 2 on March 9, and will now compete for a place in the TV quiz show final.
Imperial defeated The University of Sheffield in their quarter final by a score of 160-120.
While it wasn’t a great start to the competition for Rahim’s team – who lost their first game – they managed to pull it back at the last minute in their second game with a bonus round on Korean cuisine.
A jar of ‘Kimchi’ therefore became their mascot during the latest quarter finals game – which host Amol Rajan joked was bringing them good luck.
The final is scheduled to be broadcast on April 20 – with three more quarter finals and the two semi finals still to be broadcast before the big final – the date when Imperial will feature in the semi finals has not yet been confirmed, but it will either be on April 13 or April 6.
It is not Rahim’s first experience on a TV quiz show, having narrowly missed out on a big cash prize on ITV’s Beat The Chasers in 2021.
The Peterborough Telegraph has approached Imperial College London for a comment.