I am currently a 2nd year microbiology PhD student at Stellenbosch University focusing on antimicrobial resistance in the environment. Being a complex issue, I believe looking solely at the microbiology aspect of resistance will not develop any solutions but rather limit progress in the field. Hence my involvement in the ReNEW project, as it truly utilises different expertise and I think more cross over between fields needs to occur in order to create wholesome solutions that are effective.
My visit to Bath was incredibly valuable as our institution has a very limited knowledge on bioinformatics. To a bioinformatician, what I learnt were probably very basic skills, however I found this new information contributing to my broader knowledge of data processing and basic pipelines that could be used for certain applications that are relevant to my project. I also feel after my 2 weeks in Bath I have unlocked another inquiring portion of my mind which I do believe sets me apart from microbiologists who have not had collaborative interactions. I am grateful for the opportunity and the collaboration that the ReNEW project has created. As my colleague in Bath is a Research Associate, he gave some sound advice on a personal level in terms of being a young scientist, some challenges that I may be faced with and things to avoid which was also invaluable advice. I think during a PhD, thinking about the next step in ones career as a researcher can be overlooked or put off, in the need to deliver certain outputs and deadlines so I really valued this input as something to think about going forward with my degree.
Some pics from my visit…
Early Warning Systems 