"My PhD developed new chemical and genetic approaches to improve traceability, transparency and authenticity within food supply chains.
"I focused on palm oil. Believe it or not, there are many positive sides to the palm oil industry that you don’t hear about in the news, so it has been good to educate people about these.
"Whether we like it or not, palm oil is here to stay, so it’s best to advocate sustainable production and to have meaningful and educational conversations rather than just focus on the negatives.
"Conducting my research was great fun. I travelled all around Europe, met experts in the field and worked in international labs. I was also shortlisted for Young Lipid Scientist of the Year 2018 and gave countless talks about my research."
"One of the most memorable experiences was talking to 1000+ sixth form students about the ethical dilemmas of palm oil production! Throughout my entire life I’ve had a chronic fear of public speaking so this was a massive turning point for me. I kept thinking that I would have been very inspired to hear from a young, female scientist when I was in school.
"I have always been academic so the thought of going straight from undergraduate to PhD didn’t really worry me, but it was still a shock! But there is a lot of support at USW, which really helps.
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The more time you spend out of your comfort zone, the bigger it becomes and I am incredibly proud of how far I have come.
"The highlight of my PhD was getting my first research paper published. It is easy to doubt yourself and your work when you’re in the midst of your PhD research but being published is the ultimate validation. I’ve since published several papers, but that first one will always be special."
"As well as gaining technical and scientific skills. I completed additional training and attended international conferences which allowed me to network, learn new things, build upon my confidence and boost my profile as a young researcher.
"As a result of my PhD at USW, I have secured a coveted postdoctoral research associate position. I couldn't be happier."