During my undergraduate studies, I felt a greater sense of satisfaction and fulfillment in my research work than when I was interning in companies in the medical technology industry. Ultimately, I enjoyed the challenge and rigor of research.

After completing my undergraduate studies, I worked with my current advisor for a year. During this period, I found my research field interesting and my work meaningful. In addition, I appreciated the type of mentor my Principal Investigator was to me. These were the factors I took into consideration while choosing which PhD programmes to apply to.

I know that a lot of people say this, but it’s a much more independent journey. You are responsible for your research, not only in terms of direction but also progress.

My research is related to the use of within-host models for infectious diseases to understand key biological processes and relationships between components of the system during an infection. Currently, I’m working on implementing these in the context of SARS-CoV-2 and Dengue, and thinking of how to relate this to disease transmission at a population level.

Reminding myself that this journey is a marathon and not a sprint. It’s often easy to feel overwhelmed, and imposter syndrome definitely creeps up on me more often than not. I think celebrating small wins at work, reflecting on my progress, and having a hobby outside of my PhD are healthy ways of addressing this!