I knew I wanted to be a scientist when… I was doing my honours placement and realised I still had so many unanswered questions about my project. I got a taste of research life and wanted to run more experiments, which drove me to pursue a career in scientific research.
The thing gets me out of bed in the morning is… coffee and music! But in all seriousness, it’s the excitement that comes with observing something new that hasn’t been seen before. Each day is dynamic and different, and knowing that the work I do can improve outcomes for lung cancer patients is what drives me.
What I love about lung cancer research is… that it is a highly collaborative field. There still needs to be improvements with patient outcomes, particularly with small cell lung cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of lung cancer. We work together in an always changing landscape of emerging and potential treatment options.
I hope my team’s research will make an impact by… improving treatment outcomes for small cell lung cancer patients. This includes discovering new biomarkers, investigating emerging therapies and enhancing the effectiveness of existing treatments like immunotherapy. We hope to move away from a one-size-fits-all approach, which is currently the standard, towards a precision medicine approach.
The most inspiring person I’ve met at WEHI is… my supervisor Professor Kate Sutherland. I think she’s one of the most hard-working and giving people at WEHI. This year, I was highly commended for the Research Australia Discovery Award, which is really a testament to her mentorship of early-career researchers like me.
One of the biggest challenges I’ve overcome was… moving from New Zealand to Melbourne in February 2020 to start at WEHI, then having the COVID-19 lockdown two weeks after moving. It was not only isolating as I did not know anyone, but also required creative thinking in how I could do research from home. I mined through a lot of online datasets and this ultimately resulted in a publication in Clinical Cancer Research – the basis for my highly commended recognition in the Research Australia Discovery Award.
The WEHI Consumer Program is… one of the first and largest of its kind in Australia. We work with individuals and their loved ones affected by disease, who can share their lived experiences. It’s a unique and inspiring program that has informed my research. Together with consumers Lynn and Colleen, we’ve co-designed a grant proposal, which was funded by The CASS Foundation. We’re always looking for a diverse range of people who have lived experience to join the WEHI Consumer Program. If you’re interested, find out more.
I’m passionate about diversity… because I believe that everyone should be able to bring their authentic self to the workplace without judgement or prejudice. The liberation and empowerment that comes from this helps drives collaborations and new innovations towards improving health outcomes for everyone.
When I’m not in the lab, I like to… listen to music. You’ll always see me walking around with headphones on. I like to go to gigs, and I think Melbourne has a great music scene. I also love to paint. I find a lot of solace in shutting myself away and being creative with a brush.
