Kia ora!
I’m Milly, a Genetics PhD student, studying in the Physiology department with Dr. Megan Leask. I grew up in New Plymouth and studied Genetics and Biochemistry here in Dunedin for my undergraduate degree from 2018 to 2020. In 2021, I completed an honors degree in Genetics, and the following year, I worked as a Research Assistant in the Pathology department. My research focused on a DNA variant found only in Māori and Pasifika peoples, which is linked to a higher risk of developing Type II Diabetes.
After that, I spent 18 months in the USA working at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. There, I studied the immune system and explored potential new treatments for gout. Now I’m back in New Zealand to start my PhD, which focuses on Māori and Pacific-specific genetic variations that increase the risk of immune-related diseases like gout. My goal is to better understand how these genetic differences contribute to inflammatory diseases, improve our knowledge of the immune system, and help develop more personalized medical treatments for everyone.
I love sharing my passion for genetics, please feel free to reach out to me to ask any questions at all—I’m happy to chat about the University, the genetics program, or my experience working in academia.