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Where did you grow up and go to school?
I moved to Australia at the age of four, and spent much of my childhood in Western Australia, first in a small central wheat-belt town called Bruce Rock, followed by a move with my family to Perth. When I was fifteen years of age, my family moved to the North West coast of Tasmania, where I completed Grade 10 at Devonport High School, and then studied for my TCE at Hellyer College in Burnie.
What subjects did you enjoy at school?
At school I had a preference for Art and Literature rather than the pure sciences, and while I studied Chemistry, Maths and Physics, I was by no means a particularly good student of these subjects. I did, however, show a great deal more aptitude in Biology. I found the mechanics of how living things worked particularly fascinating, and thus easily settled into the study of this subject. My interest in Biology was coupled with a burgeoning interest in the field of Infectious Diseases, particularly into how such small things as bacteria and parasites could cause such great damage to both the human body, and in the case of epidemics, entire societies and civilisations. My interest was first actively demonstrated when I wrote a magazine article on the HIV epidemic, which was at the time only beginning in Zimbabwe.
What did you study at university?
Having developed something of a passion for the area of Medical Microbiology, I applied for, and was accepted into, the Bachelor of Biomedical Science course at the University of Tasmania in Launceston. Over the next three years (it is now a four year course), I studied all areas of the captivating field that is Pathology, but maintained my peculiar passion for Medical Microbiology.
Where did you work after graduating?
I began work in the field of Diagnostic Pathology, first for the Western Australian Government as a Regional Relief Scientist, which allowed me to travel the entire scope of the state at my employer's expense, and gain experience in both Tropical Microbiology and Aboriginal health. After 18 months in W.A., I returned to Tasmania and began work in the Pathology Department of the Royal Hobart Hospital. Since that time (including a one year sojourn working in Victoria) I have been continually involved in further education through both the Australian Society for Microbiology and the Australian Institute of Medical Scientists, presenting papers at conferences and writing journal articles.
At the age of 26 I began lecturing at the University of Tasmania, and enrolled in a part-time Master of Medical Science degree whilst continuing my work at the Hospital.
What does your current research involve?
I have since converted my studies to a Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD), and hope to have completed this course of study by the mid 2007. The opportunity to become seriously involved in research through my current studies has greatly expanded my understanding of my work, as well as my horizons regarding the field of Medical Microbiology. I hope over the next few years to use my involvement with both the Hospital and the University to foster even greater links between these two institutions, allowing targeted research to be performed into areas that will directly benefit both the patients of the Royal Hobart Hospital, and the Tasmanian community in general.
What do you love about science?
My continuing passion for Science is stirred by a child-like curiosity about the nature. I find exploring the world of Microbiology akin to a exploring a rock-pool at the beach; within it may be things that you have already seen, but there is almost always some new creature that you have not yet encountered, or a creature behaving in a way which you have not seen it do before. The satisfaction of this only made greater upon the realisation that there is still an entire ocean before you yet to be explored.
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