Intro

My name is Natalie and I’m doing my Master’s in Microbiology at the University of Otago. My research focuses on drug resistance and tuberculosis. I’m trying to find new ways to repurpose old drugs to create better treatment regimens. I first started off just doing biology and I didn’t really know what I wanted to do. I knew I always liked science, but I didn’t know what I wanted to specialise in. I started off doing some labs in microbiology and I was really interested in it.

We require first-year students to take three core papers, which are also in the curriculum of Health Sciences. In addition to that, students can choose four additional papers, either complementary to their interest or their programme, or for papers that are just of their own interest.

Studying at Otago

I really enjoyed undergrad at Otago. The microbiology papers and lab work are really interesting. There was one lab in second year where you get to take swabs from your body and try to identify what bacteria come from it. I found that really interesting as we used state-of-the-art technologies to be able to identify these bacteria.

So, what we want to do with the first-year students is bring them all to the same level. We want to teach them the world of microbes, teach them how virulence and disease work, and provide the fundamentals of immunology and the immune system.

Why Study Microbiology

For students looking into wanting to do microbiology, don’t be scared of any chemistry or maths. There are plenty of people that help you out, and you learn as you go. Also, microbiology is a really good fundamental for heaps of other sciences that you might want to pursue.

The way the students are assessed is either internally, practically, or with a bulk assessment at the end of the semester examination.

The Microbiology Department

I found that the microbiology department was really supportive and diverse. There are heaps of people around to help you, and you never have to be afraid to ask any questions.

In the microbiology department, we are like a huge family. Although you have your own lab, there are still multiple labs on each floor, which allows students and the principal investigators (PIs) to interact with the students and participate in their experiments. We also share lots of equipment throughout the department, which allows you to go from one floor to another and experience what we call interflow mingling.

Currently, we have about 50 domestic and international postgraduate students. So, when you get into the department, you’re also getting exposed to a lot of different cultures.

The microbiology department community is really supportive and helpful. I’ve had such a great experience with my undergrad classes. I have a really helpful supervisor and also a co-supervisor who are there when I need anything. I’ve also found that my classmates have been really helpful. I’ve made some friends that I’ll cherish forever and I still keep in contact with them now.

Job Opportunities

In terms of job opportunities, microbiology and immunology are very broad fields, so that allows you to go into basic research, agriculture, healthcare, or even biotechnology. We have students who are all over the world. For example, we have a recent honours student who just got admitted to grad school at an Ivy League university in the United States. We also have a post-PhD graduate student who is actively working on the coronavirus in Japan. We have many students who stay in New Zealand and work for Fonterra, AgResearch, or even join the government.

For example, one of our recent graduates joined the government and is currently the chief advisor for the Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 response. She’s only 25 years old, and that’s very impressive.