What have you achieved that you never thought possible before beginning your PhD?
A PhD is not just a degree – it is an opportunity to develop the skills needed to deliver impact. It has helped me to elevate my career opportunities, develop specialist technical skills and transferrable soft skills, and contribute new knowledge to the field I’m passionate about. I have also been fortunate to learn how to communicate science in the most innovative way, deliver quality research, and take my research out of the lab and use it to positively impact the world.
How is your PhD helping you make an impact on society?
Translating my PhD research into a medical-grade assessment tool will assist clinicians to objectively measure ataxia progression, and to make informed treatment decisions and lifestyle improvements for many people. Such an initiative is quicker, easily accessible and a cost-effective alternative to the current subjective diagnosis tools and techniques.
How has Deakin supported you to achieve your goals?
My supervisor, Professor Pubudu Pathirana, has been a significant role model to me. His enthusiasm for both research and making a scientific and social impact is contagious.
At Deakin, I’ve been involved in workshops and conferences and have been a finalist in FameLab and won a couple of competitions – such as, Three Minute Thesis (3MT) and Visualise Your Thesis (VYT) – which helped me to build connections to industry and important collaborators through my research.
This has led me to a huge range of career options that I am now qualified for and will undoubtedly love.