What were you doing before joining the Centre?
I helped ensure the smooth running of the first (pandemic-enforced) fully-remote delivery of Imperial’s MSc in Health Data Analytics and Machine Learning (HDA-ML) for the 2020/21 cohort. I co-supervised research projects and ran remote cohort-building activities. I also conducted epidemiological research as part of the SARS-CoV-2 REACT studies.

Why did you choose the Centre and how did involvement with the Centre contribute to your project?
I chose the Centre as I had already worked with many of the researchers at the Centre, such as Prof. Marc Chadeau (MSc HDA-ML course director), Prof. Paul Elliott (one of the REACT study directors), and Dr Verena Zuber, who supervised my master’s thesis in 2020. The research they and others at the Centre published was methodologically rigorous, novel, and relevant to improving public health. Furthermore, I was aware that many researchers at the Centre focus on developing new statistical and machine learning (ML) methods, the kind of research I was most interested in pursuing in my PhD.

What do you enjoy most about your day to day work and the people you work with?
I am very fortunate to work with supervisors who are not only experts in statistics, ML, and omics (genomics, proteomics, metabolomics…) research but also very responsive to my many questions! They also provide me with frequent constructive feedback and recommend methodologies to explore.

What are your plans after graduating?
My plans still need to be set, but I would like to continue conducting scientific research on improving human health.

What opportunities have you benefitted from outside your PhD?
I created and teach the optional “Introduction to Biomedical Science” module and act as a graduate teaching assistant on other modules of the MSc in HDA-ML, where I’ve been able to hone my teaching skills and have engaging discussions with students. I also co-created and teach the “Regresssions in R” course for the Imperial Graduate School, where I’ve been able to meet PhD students from across the College, which has been greatly enjoyable. I’ve also benefitted from presenting at several scientific conferences.

Do you have any tips for future MRC Centre Studentship applicants?
Before applying, try to schedule a meeting with prospective PIs to discuss potential projects and gauge if it’s the right kind of research for you. Once you’ve joined the Centre, get involved in the various lectures and showcases throughout the year to increase your awareness of the multiple streams of public health research here and share your work. And of course, since we’re not all work and no play, we also have many socials you can try to join!