I am a dementia researcher studying the early risk factors of dementia to inform dementia prevention targets.
I completed my PhD at the University of Cambridge in 2022, and have since been awarded a research fellowship from Race Against Dementia to advance my ongoing research. Prior to my PhD, I studied Psychology at the National University of Singapore, where I developed a deep appreciation of brain health. After my undergraduate studies, I worked in the Singapore government for several years conducting healthcare policy research, which gave me insights into how policies are developed, evaluated, and communicated to the public. Through this role, I grew to see how our ability to make good policy decisions was inherently limited by how little we knew about dementia. After much thought, I realised that returning to my love of neuroscience to do dementia research was effectively how I could contribute most meaningfully. So, I left my role and reinvented my career path, starting as a research assistant, a PhD student, and now a postdoctoral researcher. Looking ahead, I am hopeful that my years of experience working in the government will help me communicate effectively with policymakers to translate our research into real-world changes in policy.