Making the most of the Bachelor of Cognitive and Brain Sciences

By Chantelle Pereira

Introduction

Hey, I’m Chantelle. I was 

• The Inaugural Student Course Representative for the Bachelor of Cognitive & Brain Sciences (BCBS) 
• Co-Founder of the COGS Student Society with Connor Sanders 
• Graduate Liaison for the COGS Student Society 
• Part of the Inaugural BCBS Graduating Cohort in 2022 
• Winner of the Emotiv Prize for Dux of the BCBS 

As you can probably tell already, I absolutely loved the degree and the people I met through it have become like family! 

In this write-up, I will take you through my journey within the BCBS. Please get in touch if:

• You have any questions about the BCBS and future career options
• You’d like to get involved as an alumni and share your experiences with current students

Finishing High School 

Nearing the end of Year 12, I had no idea what I wanted to study in university. As a young 17-year-old, the whole process felt daunting. I was really interested in understanding the fascinating intricacies of the brain and its link to body systems and cognitive processes. I started off studying Psychology at the University of Melbourne. While I didn’t enjoy the psychology side, I was intrigued by the neuroscience aspect of it.  

Since Macquarie is the only Australian university to offer an undergraduate degree in Cognitive and Brain Sciences, I relocated interstate to pursue my passion for this field.  I thought that Macquarie had a stunning campus (have you visited Wally’s Walk and the Macquarie lake!) and strong student-centered focus (I remember being impressed by the sleeping pods). 

I think it’s interesting that cognitive and brain sciences is a multidisciplinary field that allows me to integrate my interests in linguistics, psychology and neuroscience, and also encompasses philosophy, computer science/artificial intelligence and anthropology.

I think at this point, it’s important to note that I didn’t take any science subjects (i.e.. chemistry, biology, physics) in high school.   

Units

Whilst lacking that science background created a bit of a learning curve, the content that is taught in this degree is so fascinating and unlike anything I'd seen or learnt before. This made that extra struggle at the start worth it. 

The first-year units (e.g. COGS1000, COGS1005, COGS1010) provided a foundational understanding of neuroscience concepts that were the essential building blocks and hooks for our future years. COMP1000 and STAT1170 complemented these perfectly to develop our all-round research skills in coding and statistics. 

The second-year units (e.g. COGS2000, COGS2020, COGS2040, COGS2050) enhanced our capabilities while developing our written communication, and independent research skills and giving us the option to delve into areas of cognitive science we enjoyed. 

Finally, the third-year units (e.g. COGS3050, COGS3999, COGS3220, COGS3250) tied together our knowledge into practical application in industry and research contexts while adequately preparing us for potential jobs. 

This course is special

I believe what makes this course unique is that the academics have an infectious passion for their area of study that they want to share with their students. They take a strong student-centered focus and are committed to providing students with the best learning experience through being transparent, open, and responsive to feedback. The interactions I’ve had in lectures, classes, and corridors are unique and enjoyable. 

I found it inspiring to be taught by exceptional academics with a diverse range of backgrounds, from physiotherapy to paleontology. A large proportion of our academics are women in STEM and they all bring career/life experience from across the world which is motivating and helps develop networks. The academics challenge students to reach their full potential while also providing us with everything we need to succeed. They are knowledgeable, approachable and friendly and have made the content and practicals interesting, fun and engaging, even throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. 

With a large proportion of our COGS academics and students being women, I feel fortunate that being a female in the BCBS degree is not something that l often think about. Being surrounded by a powerhouse of strong, high-calibre, enthusiastic, curious and courageous women has given me the confidence to pursue a career as a woman in STEM. I've been mentored by altruistic, driven, successful female scientists and leaders in the BCBS degree that I aspire to be like, who've created opportunities for me to thrive and have had a long-lasting impact in helping me discover and achieve my professional aspirations.

Real world applications

One of the big reasons I was drawn to Macquarie was its focus on real-world applications (not just theory) right from day 1 of the degree. I had various unique and invaluable opportunities to get hands-on experience in the field through practicals and involvement in research and industry internships. For example, we experimented with the Emotiv EEG headsets, Virtual Reality headsets, neuroanatomy labs, robots, and rubber hand illusion and designed our own experiments.

We also have access to and are situated in the middle of Macquarie’s own MEG, EEG and MRI laboratories, the Macquarie University Reading Clinic, the Event Related Potentials, Eye- Tracking, Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation, Behavioural Cognition Facilities, Cochlear, the Australian Hearing Hub and the Macquarie Hospital. 

Internships

Through this degree, I obtained first-hand experience as a Research Assistant, Clinical Research Associate, and Clinical Trials Study Assistant where I got to understand what these careers entail. I was able to undertake 4 internships through the Centre for Reading, Centre for Emotional Health and EyePathDx which was made possible through units like COGS3250 Advanced Research Experience and Training and COGS3999 PACE. I was very grateful for these experiences which gave me a glimpse into the world of research. 

In my second year, I took the PACE unit COGS3999: Cognitive Science in the Real World which involves at least 30 hours of practical research experience. I worked with Professor Lyndsey Nickels on the aphasia project “Picture Naming in People with and without Language Impairment”. I: 

• Undertook data entry, coding, analysis and visualisation to create normative data for neurotypical participant responses on standardised picture naming assessments.
• Interacted cohesively and collaboratively with other members of the research team to achieve project outcomes. 

In my third year, I took the unit MEDI3900: Research Experience and Training which involves at least 70 hours of practical research experience. I had the pleasure of working at the Centre for Emotional Health with Professor Kerry Sherman and Melissa Pehlivan to pilot the feasibility of an m-health intervention, ENDOTEXT, on the psychological wellbeing of Australians with endometriosis, taking both a quantitative and qualitative approach. I: 

• Communicated effectively with participants via phone, BurstSMS and email.
• Displayed attention to detail to complete correlation matrices for research papers.
• Accurately conducted data management and cleaning using RedCap and Excel.
• Co-authored the publication “Randomised controlled pilot of the EndoSMS supportive text message intervention for individuals with endometriosis: Feasibility and acceptability results”
• Co-authored the publication: Handelsman, N., Sherman, K. A., Pereira, C., & Fernando, M. (2023). Locked inside: Living with uncertainty in self-management for endometriosis during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 170, 111327. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2023.111327

In my third year I also took the unit COGS3250 Advanced Research Experience and Training which involves at least 120 hours of practical research experience., I spent half the semester working with Professor Genevieve McArthur and Alana Jones at the Macquarie University Centre for Reading, investigating the translational side of reading research, and the bi-directional relationship between developmental reading disorders and reading anxiety in children. In the second half of semester, I worked with Saskia Kohnen at the Macquarie University Reading Clinic to develop evidence-based spelling instruction materials to be used in Montessori schools. I: 

• Learned to administer and score neuropsychological reading and anxiety assessments to children and interpret and write reports for parents on the outcomes of a large test battery.
• Applied translational research into developing evidence-based spelling resources for Montessori schools.

In my third, I also did the Macquarie Undergraduate Research Internship (MURI) which involves 50 hours of paid research experience. I had the chance to work with Rob Newport at his start-up company, EyePathDx, to develop a neurological screening medical device that uses eye-tracking to screen for cognitive decline such as dementia. I: 

• Was responsible for coordinating and overseeing the execution of clinical trials, applying for Grant Funding, obtaining Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) certification and Ethical Review for conducting clinical trials.
• Was offered a paid part-time position at the end of the internship.

Finally, I organised to shadow Hayley Chapman at the Macquarie University Clinical Trials Unit where I got to witness the day in the life of a clinical trials coordinator, getting a glimpse into both the patient and administration side of oncology trials. I also toured various wards in the Macquarie Hospital and obtained my Good Clinical Practice (GCP) Certification.  

I am so grateful to have been guided by these wonderful mentors and to have had these fascinating opportunities which were also my first times presenting at uni, developing a research poster and attending a mini-research conference. These internships helped me realise that the intersection of endometriosis and neuroscience is an area I’d love to delve into.  

3 pieces of advice

At this point, I think it is timely to mention the 3 pieces of advice I shared with students at Kickstart in 2023. 

1. I’d recommend using your flexible zone wisely. Choose units that complement your interests or allow you to explore fields that you may be interested in.

• We are lucky that cognitive science is a multidisciplinary field which allows us to explore a range of disciplines and potential interests including linguistics, psychology, neuroscience, philosophy, computer science/artificial intelligence and anthropology. 
• I was able to undertake 4 internships through units like COGS3250, MEDI3900, COGS3999 and MURI. I highly recommend exploring these options. 

2. Persevere through challenging first year units like Neuroscience and Introduction to Computer Programming.

• They are complex and it is easy to feel overwhelmed, especially if you didn’t take any science subjects in high school like I didn’t.
• However, it is worth it, and you’ll hopefully come out feeling satisfied with the programming skills you’ve learnt and the fascinating neuroscience concepts and diseases you’ve encountered.
• In second and third year you will have greater flexibility to pursue topics that interest you. 

3. Get as involved in extracurricular opportunities you can. At the end of last year, we established our Cognitive and Brain Science Society and I’d highly recommend getting involved as a member and maybe even an executive. Events include: 

• Open Day activations
• Annual General Meeting (AGM) 
• O-Week stalls
• Mindfulness Session with guest speakers
• “The Connected Species” Book Launch with Dr. Mark Williams
• Hoodies and merchandise to purchase

Student Course Representative 

In 2022, I was honoured to be nominated as the inaugural Student Course Representative for the BCBS. In this role, I: 

• Sought input from students enrolled in the Bachelor of Cognitive and Brain Sciences to ensure student voices were heard by the staff involved in the delivery of the course, being approachable and employing problem-solving skills to suggest actionable strategies for the concerns raised.
• Fostered a sense of community within the newly-formed degree by:
  • Organising a team of volunteers to promote the degree at Open Day
  • Organising volunteers and equipment to film student profiling videos
  • Obtaining interest for outreach roles 
  • Co-founding the COGS student society including an email and messenger chat, accreditation and building engagement within it

Open Day

As Student Course Representative for the BCBS, it was such a rewarding experience to organise this passionate team of volunteers to promote the degree at Macquarie’s Open Day in 2022! I was very excited to see so many eager prospective students show interest in our fascinating course (the only one of its kind in Australia!). It was a lot of fun engaging them with all sorts of illusions and EEG headsets measuring their brain activity in real-time!

At Open Day, we engaged in discussions about the prospect of establishing a COGS Student Society. Connor and I were eager to foster a sense of community within this newly-formed degree with plans of a student society, high school outreach and an alumni group on the horizon. 

Founding the Society 

The BCBS has a really strong sense of community amongst both staff and students which I think is incredibly unique. I attribute this to the small cohort, extremely passionate and hardworking staff and students who connect over a common love for cognitive science, and staff who are so generous with their time. 

At the end of 2022, we established our Cognitive and Brain Science Society. In less than a year, the society accumulated 350+ members and hosted regular successful events such as Mark William's Book Launch, Open Day activations, O-Week Stalls, Mindfulness Session, Trivia Night and Hoodies. The fact that students went out of their way to establish and maintain this society (when a psychology society, medical science society, etc already exists) speaks to the quality and uniqueness of the Cognitive and Brain Sciences degree.

As Co-Founder of the COGS Society, we:

• Organised and promoted the end-of-year celebration event that congregated staff and students socially for the first time.
• Organised the inaugural Annual General Meeting (AGM), gauged interest in roles and elected the executive committee.

Launch of the Hoodies 

As part of our collective effort to establish a sense of community within our amazing BCBS course, we launched our first COGS HOODIE! This was one of our first initiatives for the Cogs Student Society with much more fun stuff on the way! 

Connor and I coordinated the design and implementation of the CBS hoodies from scratch including liaising with logo designers, liaising with printing companies over quotes, seeking student/staff feedback, setting up the payment and order process, and promoting the hoodies via word of mouth and email. 

Graduate Liaison 

The AGM and End of Year Celebration was such an exciting day and sentimental moment seeing our Cognitive and Brain Sciences society come together as I finished my undergraduate studies at Macquarie, from Student Course Representative to Society Co-Founder and now Graduate Liaison! First AGM of the student society and lively end of year celebration! So grateful to be part of such an amazing and passionate community of staff and students! 

We were thrilled to elect and welcome the new leadership team: 

• President - Connor
• Graduate Liaison - Chantelle 
• Secretary - Jordan
• HDR Liaison - Tabea
• Social Media Manager - Kitty
• Events Manager - Nima
• Diversity & Inclusion - Tegan
• Treasurer - Joel

We also saw the launch of our social media  thanks to our awesome events manager Kitty. Be sure to follow our community on: 

• Instagram
• Twitter
• Facebook
• LinkedIn

You can subscribe to this site and follow us on social media to stay updated with the latest news and events.

It is so gratifying seeing such a huge turnout of staff, students, members of the public and even interstate people uniting to support the cogs society that was just about an idea this time last year. Truly proud of the team for coming together in their various roles with such enthusiasm and effort to make this society flourish.

As Graduate Liaison, I was privileged to:

• Speak as an alumna at Macquarie University Kickstart and Open Day events, sharing my experiences in the degree and career pathway, advocating the degree to prospective students, promoting the COGS Student Society and conducting advisory consultations with prospective students and parents

At the 2023 Open Day, the lecture theatre overflowed with students and parents interested in hearing about the degree, a true testament to the community fostered and experience provided. 

Extra-curricular activities

Whilst fully immersing in the BCBS, I also took every opportunity to get involved in various extracurricular activities. There’s the Global Leadership Program, the Widening Participation Unit and Macquarie’s 140+ student and sports groups – there is so much to get involved with internal and external to the degree. 

Global Leadership Program with Merit

https://students.mq.edu.au/uni-life/leadership/global-leadership-program 

• The Global Leadership Program is a multi-award-winning co-curricular program that Macquarie students can elect to undertake alongside their academic degree. 
• GLP students undertake a challenging program of co-curricular activities that are designed to create confident and active global leaders. 
• The program is filled with incredible opportunities to step outside one’s comfort zone and develop cross-cultural and leadership capabilities, and a practical and critical understanding of international issues, perspectives, innovation and entrepreneurship as global citizens. 
• GLP graduates are better equipped to work in multicultural environments both in Australia and abroad, to work towards and assume leadership positions in their career, and to understand diverse global issues affecting the world today. 
• I was excited to be awarded the prestigious title of Completion with Merit, in recognition of achieving over and above Program requirements. The program showcased my ambition, exemplary time management and perseverance for success.
• I would encourage all Macquarie University students to make the most of this opportunity - I remember starting off the program asking what would happen if I didn’t reach the 200 points, but once you begin to immerse in it, it’s compelling. 510 points later, I am so grateful for every experience I have had throughout the program and all the wonderful like-minded people I have connected with. 
• I can’t wait to continue applying the skills and knowledge I’ve gained from the GLP across all the realms of my life, particularly the multicultural environments I encounter abroad. 

MQ Peer Mentor

https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/peer-support/mentors 

In my second semester at Macquarie, I volunteered as a Peer Mentor. I: 

• Facilitated and led individual and group discussions between Mentees who were new students at the University 
• Sent weekly messages to new students and facilitated goal setting through the Macquarie University Mentor Network
• Supported Mentees in finding their way around Sydney if they were regional or international students
• Advised Mentees on how to navigate the University learning environment and create connections within the Macquarie student community
• Referred Mentees to appropriate support, services and facilities as necessary
• Attended, supported and actively promoted events designed to connect all commencing students e.g. Week 0, social events

MQ LEAP Mentor & Mentor Leader

https://www.mq.edu.au/about/about-the-university/vision-strategy/other-university-initiatives/widening-participation/leapup-outreach 

In my second and third years, I volunteered as LEAP Mentor and Mentor Leader. I: 

• Supported high school students from refugee backgrounds with their investigation of and successful transition into higher education through weekly, small-group mentoring sessions.
• Provided non-judgmental support to mentees and acted as a positive role model to encourage mentees to explore, identify, and achieve their post-high school goals.
• Helped students develop self-awareness, self-efficacy, sense of belonging and leadership skills; set goals, identify strengths and resources, and apply agency and pathways thinking; broaden and navigate aspirations related to further education and careers options; improve research, time management and job seeker skills; and increase understanding of tertiary education pathways, university courses, expectations, and future job prospects.
• Stepped into a Leadership role in the absence of the Team Leader. Displayed strong leadership skills and was invited to return the following semester as a LEAP Mentor Leader.
• Provided support and guidance to mentors by sharing experiences and being the first point of call for any concerns
• Encouraged group cohesion, collaboration and communication amongst the mentor group whilst facilitating the transition to a hybrid mode of mentoring during the Covid-19 pandemic.
• Learned to manage a team remotely and navigate the obstacle of building connections remotely with a hybrid mentoring model.
• Facilitated pre- and post- mentor briefing at the high school, coordinated group activities, took attendance, ensured mentors signed in and out of the school and completed weekly reflections

 Widening Participation Unit University Ambassador

https://www.mq.edu.au/about/about-the-university/vision-strategy/other-university-initiatives/widening-participation

As a Widening Participation Unit University Ambassador, I: 

• Travelled to schools across New South Wales and facilitated workshops that promoted the aims of the Widening Participation Unit which is to empower students from equity groups to participate in higher education.
• Felt fortunate to have been able to work with such a diverse array of disadvantaged and underrepresented high school students from refugee and low SES backgrounds and engage them with enriching educational opportunities that have encouraged them to realise their personal potential. I learned so much from these students and am truly inspired by their resilience and fortitude. 
• Was grateful that volunteering with the WPU has enabled me to stay in the classroom and make a difference in education while also realising my leadership potential and developing my cross-cultural understanding

Student Customer Service Assistant

As part of the Engagement, Inclusion and Belonging team, I:

• Manned a centrally located tent on campus during the semester and exam period, warmly welcoming new students to campus and helping them feel a sense of belonging. This included handing out freebies, assisting them with their inquiries, reassuring them about their concerns and helping them navigate the campus.
• Called over 1000 Macquarie University students as part of a calling campaign to reduce the number of students on an extended leave of absence, communicating empathetically, effectively and efficiently. Completed an accompanying spreadsheet following each call.

QENDO Mentor

https://www.qendo.org.au/programs/qendo-mentor

As a QENDO Mentor, I blended my interests in mentoring and endometriosis impact. I:

• Facilitated weekly mentoring sessions to help improve the lives of people affected by endometriosis, adenomyosis, PCOS, pelvic pain, period pain and infertility
• Empathised and provided a non-judgemental listening ear whilst navigating difficult topics

MQ x Google Computer Science Research Workshop

• My performance in COMP1000 gave me the chance to attend a Google-funded 3-day “Ready for Research” workshop, designed to teach other high-achieving women the skills and techniques needed to further our programming and transition to computer science research. 
• I would never have dreamed of learning programming prior to undertaking my degree and to have developed such a crucial skill in today’s world has been so rewarding. It challenged my way of thinking, enhanced my problem-solving skills and developed my creativity. It was daunting but the satisfaction of being able to create a game by the end was so worth it! 
• It was also an honour to be awarded the GT MicroPro Prize for academic excellence in Introduction to Computer Programming in Session 2, 2020 at the Faculty of Science and Engineering Prize Evening. 
• I look forward to applying these skills towards learning how to program up cognitive science experiments.

Resilience - GLP Excellence Awards: Dr Shirlene Lim Memorial Prize 

To conclude this section on extracurricular activities, I think there’s often a perception that high-achievers who are heavily involved in initiatives are able to do so because they aren’t juggling personal challenges in their life. Through personal experience, I believe that no matter what you are going through - physical, mental, personal or financial - there will always be something you can get involved with.

The Global Leadership Excellence Awards recognise students whose activities, initiative and involvements at Macquarie University and in the wider community truly reflect the values of the program. The Dr Shirlene Lim Award is presented to a student who has triumphed over significant adversity to achieve in the GLP.

I was honoured and grateful to be chosen as the 2021 recipient of the Dr. Shirlene Lim Memorial Prize. It served as wonderful encouragement to keep persevering and striving for excellence. My experiences over the past few years have contributed to my determination to overcome any setback and make the most of every opportunity. I’ve become more resilient and grateful for everything I am able to do and achieve. I believe we are always in control of our mindset with the endeavours we undertake. Through this approach, we can recognise that our adversities do not have to define our future or how we show up in the world, allowing us to flourish into the best versions of ourselves. 

Career pathways 

As part of the inaugural cohort, I believe this degree set me up well for my career, by not just equipping me with expertise in the course subject matter, but also developing my 

• critical thinking, 
• technical skills, 
• ethical knowledge, 
• ability to solve complex problems, 
• teamwork, 
• confidence to learn independently, 
• written and spoken communication skills, 
• research skills and 
• computer programming skills 

which I would never have dreamed of learning before this degree. I’m glad that I chose Cognitive and Brain Sciences, which out of the many options that I could choose from, opens several avenues as opposed to taking one into just one career path. 

If we think about the number of times we change careers in our life, it’s these transferrable skills we gain that are the most important and we’re doing ourselves a service by keeping our options open..  

My path since graduating 

Since graduating at the end of 2022, 

• I was selected as one of 10 Australians who were offered a prestigious Fellowship to study in the United States under the Quad Governments. 
• I received admission into Yale University and Johns Hopkins University.
• I wholeheartedly believe that this degree made me a competitive candidate for these opportunities (referring back to the fact that the Bachelor of Cognitive and Brain Sciences is the only one of its kind in Australia, compared to a high prominence in the US) and am grateful to the staff who unconditionally supported me on this journey. 
• In addition, I was offered a position in the Master of Research program at MQ with a scholarship, Research Assistant positions, and entry into a Graduate Program in Finance. 
• I think this speaks to how broadly this degree prepares students for employability and the number of diverse avenues that it opens up. 

Other roles and companies I considered included: 

• Lived Experience Advisor
• Clinical Trials Study Coordinator
• Clinical Educator
• Master of Research and PhD
• Genetics Counsellor
• Research Administration
• Research Assistant 

• Cochlear
• NeuRA 
• Google
• MQ Neurosurgery 
• Royal North Shore Hospital Neurology Department 
• NSW Government 
• Sydney Neuroimaging Analysis Centre 

Westpac Graduate Program - Project Manager

Since graduating in 2022, I worked in banking as a Project Manager for 18 months. The possibilities that come out of this degree are endless! 

Westpac’s Graduate Program had an ForUncommonMinds campaign, meaning that they weren’t just looking for graduates from finance or commerce backgrounds. Instead, they were looking for graduates with transferable skills and diverse ways of thinking that could add to their organisation. You should think about and start applying for graduate programs in your final year of study! 

It was a privilege to work on an impactful initiative for youth and families while I was a Graduate Project Manager at Westpac. We lowered the age a child can get a Westpac Debit Mastercard from 14 to 8 years old, introducing digital features like a Family Hub, Parental Controls, Weekly Spending Limits and Pocket Money, to promote financial literacy and create a safer and friendlier banking experience for Australians. 

Through my rotations, I: 

• Learned how change projects are managed in a large organisation with the intention of applying the skills to the healthcare field.
• Completed my Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt Certification, applying the PDCA framework to actively solve a business problem
• Created, organised & maintained Kanban boards in Jira
• Raised 20+ front-door engagements for tech & business to complete the engagement plan
• Assisted review of collateral plan requirements, responsibilities & delivery dates
• Assisted creation of project plans & corresponding gantt charts
• Created overview slide decks visualising the reasoning, benefits & expected financial growth of the proposed changes
• Ran stand-ups
• Developed an understanding of the tools used to manage projects including Clarity, Jira, Confluence, WASP & Teams
• Ran through the project budget & resource management in WASP
• Understood how a team manages limited funding & resources in the lead-up to a new financial year
• Attended regular meetings including team huddles; business requirement documents walkthroughs; value chain management; working groups with digital applications & took meeting minutes
• Engaged with the Project Managers, Project Director, Product Owner, Data Analyst, Collateral Delivery, Business Analysts, Change Manager, Marketing, Business Architect & Risk Lead to understand various roles & responsibilities within the team
• Transitioned to CTB Technology as part of the new ways of working, being empathetic to those impacted by the changes
• Developed an understanding of how to negotiate difficult situations & conversations
• Completed the Westpac Accessible Communications & Inclusive Design Training and Westpac Inclusive Design for Web & Mobile Accessibility Training
• Presented to Macquarie University students about Westpac's Uncommon Minds Graduate Program
• Ensured reporting compliance for approximately 25 projects by liaising with Project Managers
• Developed, implemented and rolled out a Change Request process and system across the Cash and Transactional Banking Line of Business. This was successfully adopted by all the villages and simplified and improved the overall governance of change requests
• Uplifted the Portfolio reporting by simplifying the preparation of the monthly Gold Milestone report for the Executive Scrum
•  Created and maintained Confluence pages to assist Project Managers in meeting their governance requirements
• Ran monthly Status Report meetings
• Participated in The Youth Network and Women of Westpac Employee Action Groups
• Completed the Data Fluency & Digital Ways of Working Accreditations as part of the Data & Digital Uplift Program

I’m grateful for the skills, networks and friendships I’ve developed through the Westpac Transformation Graduate Program and their #ForUncommonMinds campaign, particularly coming from a neuroscience background. I found it particularly valuable to step back from academia and studies and gain an understanding of how the corporate world operates. It was eye-opening! 

Research Assistant

Knowing that the next step in my career was heading to the USA to pursue as Master’s in endometriosis research, I reached out and accepted a position as a Research Assistant at the Macquarie University School of Psychological Sciences to gain further experience in endometriosis research. This was with the same fantastic supervisor who I did an internship with during my BCBS. I:

• Conducted a qualitative analysis on focus groups with patients living with endometriosis and medical professionals (surgeons, doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, naturopaths, dietitians, clinic managers) who treat the condition. The project's broader goal is to develop a decision aid to help the 1 in 9 women living with this chronic, incurable, debilitating condition navigate their options.
• Co-authored two papers for publication: Fallon, L., Lau, A. Y. S., Ciccia, D., Duckworth, T. J., Pereira, C., Kopp, E., … Sherman, K. A. (2024). Perceived challenges in treatment decision-making for endometriosis: healthcare professional perspectives. Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/21642850.2024.2383469

Endometriosis is a big passion of mine and I hope to continue to contribute to much needed research and reform going forward to help reduce the suffering induced by this debilitating chronic condition. 

Emotiv Prize

I’m proud to have been awarded the EMOTIV Prize for Dux of the Bachelor of Cognitive and Brain Sciences at Macquarie University! 

Huge thanks to EMOTIV for sponsoring the prize; the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences for organising such a lovely Awards Evening; and most importantly our CogSci academics, my achievements would not have been possible without their ongoing unwavering support and calibre of teaching. 

Next steps (off to Yale!)  

I’m thrilled to share that I’ve been selected as one of 10 Australians that will be heading to the United States to pursue postgraduate studies in STEM as part of the prestigious Quad Fellowship!!

The Quad Fellowship, announced by the White House, is an initiative of the Australian, United States, Japanese and Indian Governments to foster a community of exceptional leaders in science, technology, mathematics, and engineering who are committed to addressing global challenges and driving technological advancements through collaborative innovation. 

This week I will be moving to Yale University to undertake my Masters of Science in Chronic Disease Epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health. I plan to study the intersection of endometriosis and neuroscience to reduce endometriosis-related suffering and bring endometriosis to the awareness of decision-makers, educators and healthcare professionals to shift public policy and affect much-needed positive change! I look forward to collaborating with global scientists and technologists and leveraging science to positively impact women’s health worldwide. 

I am so grateful to have been selected for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to represent Australia and women in STEM. Immense gratitude to my family, friends, professors, colleagues, referees and mentors who have supported me on this 2-year journey so far. I'm super excited to see this next chapter in New Haven unfold! 

I will truly miss the COGS community who have become my Sydney family! 

Degree Suspension

It is truly devastating to hear the news that the BCBS degree has been suspended. I hope this article is able to at least help some of you lucky students already in the degree to enhance your experience! Please reach out if you have any questions :)