I have a keen interest in tropical diseases and having the first-hand experience of growing up in Kenya, which cuts across sub-Saharan Africa, makes all these kinds of neglected parasites something cool and interesting to study. Blood parasites such as trypanosomes are complex organisms that exploit the host to ensure survival. Each day I look down the microscope at these parasites; my passion is geared towards understanding the mechanisms these tiny parasites use to subvert our hostile defence systems.
In the days past, I did a Masters at the University of Glasgow in Infection Biology on another fascinating blood parasite (the malaria parasite). This motivated me to further my research in other complex systems at the University of Edinburgh, as I undertake my doctoral training. As far as I can tell, trypanosomes are full of surprises and hold a gold mine of information. Every day is a learning curve and as the field is fast evolving, we gear in on understanding daily about the disease biology. Am looking forward to a thrilling 3 years in the course of my PhD, full of innovative ideas and enthralling research. This week, I will be wading through papers to try and wrap up my first-year annual report, which is slowly but surely getting there. Hopefully, I will bring my data in one place to generate my first figures and eventually come up with a coherent story. If you have any questions on PhD life, not forgetting during a pandemic, don’t hesitate to leave a comment. Enjoy the rest of the week!
