What is your role at LSHTM?

I am a first-year student in the joint PhD program with LSHTM and Nagasaki University. I am new to the role and started a few weeks ago.

Tell us a bit about your current project?

Very briefly, my current project focuses on multi-disease antibody analytics. The overall aim is to evaluate various analytical approaches for interpreting multi-disease antibody data and to determine its effectiveness in public health surveillance, specifically for malaria, dengue, and neglected tropical diseases in Southeast Asia. The PhD extends previous work on malaria and dengue, and will comprise of data containing serological responses to multiple antigenic targets already collected. Additionally, I hope to apply geospatial analysis techniques to analyse the spatial distribution of these disease.

Why malaria research?

Malaria has always fascinated me because of its complexity and because of its weight on human history. I am researching malaria because it remains a major public health challenge, especially in regions endemic to multiple infectious diseases. Although I have not had the opportunity to research malaria in previous work, I am excited about this project because it allows me to join the malaria research community and learn more about the disease.

What three words describe you?

I always feel a bit awkward answering this question, so I asked my friends for help. They described me as loyal, passionate, and dedicated.

What are your hobbies and interests?

Some of my hobbies include swimming, cooking, and crocheting/knitting. I have started crocheting crab toys, though not entirely anatomically correct, to donate to children's hospitals.

My interests include wine, where I am working towards obtaining a WSET level 2 certification. I am also interested in ocean conservation and even created a shark conservation website during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Which words or phrases do you overuse?

In a gender-neutral way, I call every dog I see a "distinguished gentleman".

If not yourself, who would you most like to be?

I think I would enjoy being one of those cows living peacefully in the Swiss Alps. As for a person, Stanley Tucci seems to have a pretty fun and interesting life!

Where do you see yourself in five years?

In 5 years, I see myself finished with the PhD and either expanding on that research or applying the skills developed to work with a public health organisation. But honestly, I am open to wherever life takes me and am thrilled to start this journey!