“It meant I didn’t have to worry about looking for a job at the same time as writing my thesis and allowed me to keep working and generating data that will lead to more publications.”

Ms Robbins, who is studying cell death during T-cell development in the thymus, said COVID-19 had compounded the pressure associated with completing her thesis.

“COVID-19 slowed everything down for a while and made the year a little more stressful, particularly when thinking about what I would do next and whether there would be any suitable employment opportunities when I finished,” she said.

Fellow PhD student Dr Abdirahman also received a WEHI Bridging Fellowship in 2020.

“I was working part-time in the lab, which made it challenging to get all the experiments done. Receiving the fellowship meant I could work full-time and complete more experiments,” she said.

Dr Abdirahman has since secured a job at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, where she is working as a postdoctoral researcher studying ovarian cancer.

“I passed my thesis examination in February, just as COVID-19 hit, and then we went into lockdown. That was the worst feeling ever, not knowing what was going to happen. Those crucial months and years after you graduate are so important and not knowing when that might be possible is very daunting.”

The WEHI Bridging Fellowships were made possible thanks to WEHI researchers Professor Guillaume Lessene and Associate Professor Peter Czabotar, who each donated their winnings from Australia’s 2019 Prime Minister’s Prize for Innovation to establish the fellowships. WEHI director Professor Doug Hilton AO also donated to establish the fellowships.