I’m currently a second-year computational biology PhD student at the University of Birmingham. I work on improving reference-free methods to analyse shotgun metagenomic data, with a focus on pathogen detection and surveillance. Specifically, I’m exploring graph-based approaches that capture microbial diversity without relying on reference genomes. I’m supervised by Nick Loman, Joshua Quick, and Nicole Wheeler.
My interests also extend to the intersection of public health, biotechnology, and security. I am an Emerging Leaders in Biosecurity Fellow and previously served as a political affairs intern at the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, where I supported the Biological Weapons Convention. I have also provided scientific advice to support the broader biological weapons disarmament and non-proliferation regime in various capacities.
I graduated from the University of Warwick in 2022 with an MSc Mathematics of Systems, where my thesis focused on quantifying the effect of reporting structures on nowcasting COVID-19 incidence in England. Prior to that, I received a BSc (Hons) in Statistics (Specialisation in Data Science) and minors in Public Health and Geographical Information Systems from the National University of Singapore. My honours project focused on using serological data to predict population susceptibility to dengue over space and time in Singapore.