By Pavan Marvaha (BM5)
In January, I had the privilege of representing the University of Southampton by attending and presenting my MMedSc research (The Potential Role of Microglia in Neonatal Hypoxic-Ischaemic Encephalopathy, led by Professor Delphine Boche) at The Global Young Scientists Summit (GYSS) in Singapore. Each year, the summit aims to bring young researchers and top scientific minds from around the world to provide a platform for conversations on science and research, technology innovation and society, and solutions to global challenges.
GYSS is a multi-disciplinary summit and through interacting and networking with attendees from a variety of fields (including medicine, chemistry, physics, mathematics, computer science and engineering), I was able to appreciate the value of global collaboration in the advancement of research.
During my time at GYSS, I attended lectures and panel discussions. I also had the opportunity to interact with and be mentored by speakers in informal small group sessions. The speakers at GYSS included recipients of the Nobel Prize, Fields Medal, Millennium Technology Prize and Turing Award. I had the privilege of personally interacting with Nobel Prize winners Professor Tim Hunt and Professor Thomas Südhof during these sessions.
While most of my time was spent being immersed in the world of academia and research, the GYSS organisers did plan enrichment opportunities where I visited a few of the incredible sights of Singapore which included China Town and Marina Bay Sands (and much more!). The conference ended with a final gathering of the participants at Sentosa Island, where more networking took place.
Attending this conference has been an invaluable opportunity for me to present my masters research at an international conference, while also meeting likeminded individuals with aspirations within the research field. The conference had exposed me to current research, particularly in Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence, and made me appreciate how these areas could be applied in medicine – an area I’m keen to learn more about.
I am extremely grateful for this experience and extend my gratitude to the University of Southampton for nominating my application to the GYSS committee. I absolutely recommend this opportunity and urge anyone interested in a research career to apply!
