I have established myself as a highly organised and diligent PhD candidate. I have spent the last five years training in medical research during which I developed skills in human and viral genetics, immunology, database management and biostatistics relating to cohort studies. I currently have eight peer-reviewed publications, have been invited to give four guest presentations and been accepted to give oral or poster presentations at fourteen local, national or international conferences. I have served as an active committee member on two conference-organising committees (one national and one international), one professional society committee and one university school committee. I have been awarded a small grant which provided seed funding for an original research idea, been awarded three scholarships during my PhD and awarded two student presentation prizes at scientific meetings. In addition to medical research, I have four years of experience as a sessional academic, involved in laboratory demonstrations for undergraduate classes, which included preparing for classes and helping with assessments.