Doctorate grad adds TikTok title to achievements

It has been a winning year for Gab Astorga, who has passed his doctorate and clinched a national TikTok award this year

A PhD graduate who has won a TikTok award for his social media posts says he hopes his win will inspire more people from different backgrounds to take up science.

Gab Astorga, who grew up in Mile Cross in Norwich and studied biomedicine at the city's University of East Anglia (UEA), has amassed 432,000 followers and 23m likes on the platform for his videos.

The 25-year-old, who passed his doctorate after undertaking research at the Quadram Institute in Norwich, launched his account during his UEA degree studies.

"I'm just really honoured and grateful... because seeing someone up there just like me would have inspired younger-version Gab," said Dr Astorga.

Speaking to BBC Radio Norfolk, the academic said: "They would have been inspired to pursue science, content creation, to use their voice for something important."

Dr Astorga, who attended Notre Dame High School, topped the category in the Books and Learning Creator of the Year at the second annual TikTok Awards UK and Ireland 2025 on Sunday.

Dr Astorga said he originally started posting jokes and skits on TikTok before moving on to making videos about science education and using his voice for "something important"

The platform said 4.8m votes were cast across the nations for the shortlisted candidates.

Under the name @goodolgab, Dr Astorga has uploaded scores of posts about his educational journey as well as accessible science and nature content.

"It's crazy because at the start of this month, I just completed my PhD... and then the week afterwards, it was the TikTok awards," the microbiologist said.

"It was just one high to the next - it's been so overwhelming.

"A lot of my content focuses on my life as a scientist and researcher, but I also am this wonderful amalgamation of a person of colour and also LGBTQ+, so I showcase diverse voices and diverse people on my page too."

'Setting trends'

Dr Astorga said one of his favourite posts was making agar petri dishes to encourage people to conduct their own experiments at home.

Another highlight had been interviewing Peter Lee, the head of Microsoft Research, who spoke of the joy of always being a student.

Dr Astorga also worked as a student creator for UEA's social media team while studying at the Quadram Institute on the Norwich Research Park.

During this time he posted videos on such topics as coping with exams, his path to choosing his degree and Norwich Pride.

Dominic Burns, TikTok's head of operations for the UK, Ireland and Nordics, said the awards "celebrate and recognise" the content creators "shaping British and Irish culture, setting trends, and inspiring millions every day".