Meet our graduate researchers - Daniel Rawlinson
Research title: The Applications and Limitations of CITE-seq for Immune Cell Profiling
Started PhD studies in 2021
What and where did you study before your PhD?
I studied science at The University of Queensland and finished my Honours year there in 2019. I moved to Melbourne at the end of that year and started working as a Research Assistant (RA) in the Coin Group. I had already done a fair bit of travelling earlier in my 20s, so having earned some money from my RA work, I took the plunge into a PhD in the same group in 2021.
I definitely recommend taking a break in some form before starting a PhD. With some time working or travelling, you may find that your interests lie somewhere entirely unexpected. It’s best you allow yourself the opportunity to discover that before embarking on something as focussed as PhD.
What made you decide to undertake a PhD at the Doherty Institute?
The main thing that attracted me to the Doherty Institute was that I found a lab group whose work I liked and a supervisor who supported me. These are the factors that can make or break your studies. The reputation and high calibre of research at the Doherty and the University of Melbourne is nice but these won’t influence your success as a Graduate Researcher to the extent that your choice of lab group will.
When do you hope to complete and what are your plans post-PhD?
I’m expecting to finish at the end of 2024 and my current plans are to move into an industry role where I might be involved in translating research into usable products.
What advice do you have for someone who is considering a PhD?
Make sure you’re truly interested in the topic! You’ll be expected to learn more about it than anyone around you.