Tell us a little about you?

I’m a final year PhD student in the College of Medicine and Public Health. My PhD project focuses on the role of gut serotonin in both colonic motility and more broadly in the gut-brain axis.

I spend so much time in the Flinders Medical Centre where my office is, that some people might think I live there! Luckily the lack of windows gives me a good excuse to travel up to the hub for a sneaky Parwana lunch. I never expected that I would do a PhD, in fact, during my undergraduate I didn’t even know what a PhD was! Doing one now, I couldn’t imagine it any other way.

What do you like to do for fun?

I play footy (AFL) in the winter and I have just started surf-life saving rowing this summer at SLSC (would recommend people look up some photos/videos – it’s WILD!). I’m also currently training for a triathlon. Other than these, I love reading, pottery, sewing, surfing, and being at the beach.

Your favourite Authors?

There aren’t any authors that I religiously follow, I prefer to read books recommended from friends or peers, or ones that feature in my book club. I particularly love books that are focused on psychology or philosophy… and of course the odd romantic novel.

What do you enjoy most about being a Student Representative?

I love being a student rep because it means that I am able to have an impact on what happens for the higher degree research students (HDRs) in my college. I feel that this is important because we HDRs are often stuck in limbo – we’re not undergraduates anymore, so we feel a little out of place at student events and activities, but we’ve also not quite made it to the staff events and activities either. I love to be the voice on behalf of the HDRs to make sure that we get opportunities, are continuously involved in the College, and connect with each other to improve and enhance our future careers. I also like to make sure that the ‘higher ups’ are aware of the pressures facing PhD students, and to make sure that the welfare of the students are always a top priority.