Trading Yorkshire Puddings for Laksa: Moving from Sheffield to Singapore

Amy Birss

In January, I moved to Singapore to join the Nagarajan lab at the A* Genome Institute in Singapore, with the A* Research Attachment Programme (ARAP). The ARAP program offers early-career researchers like myself a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience in World-class research environments. 

The Nagarajan lab uses a systems biology approach, blending computational and experimental methods to explore microbial dynamics and their effects on human health— specifically focusing on Microbial Interaction Prediction, Genome Assembly and Metagenomics, and Cancer Genomics; all of which provide insight into my own research. 

At Sheffield, I focused on enriching samples from the River Mersey and subjecting them to long-term benzene exposure. Now in Singapore, I've completed genome assembly using MEGAHIT and MetaQUAST, and conducted detailed statistical analysis of the 16S rRNA data with DADA2. Looking ahead, I’ll focus on the metagenomic analysis of the samples from the River Mersey as well as on enriching and replicating the experiment using samples from Singapore. I'm also thrilled to be given the opportunity to collaborate with St John’s Island Marine Labs - an offshore facility that’s home to cutting-edge marine research.

Supertrees at gardens by the bay, St. Johns Island, Genome Institute, Ferry back from St Johns.

This move to A* Genome Institute represents a significant step in my research career, where I’ll not only expand my work in metagenomics and collaborate with global experts but also get the chance to live in Southeast Asia and explore the opportunities over here.