Region

Auckland

Job

Melanie currently works with Dr Bronwen Connor in the Neurogenesis and Neural Repair Laboratory at Auckland University. Her group studies brain stem cells. The research focuses on identifying and understanding the signals which direct the replication, movement and maturation of these cells in the adult brain. The idea is that if these processes can be understoond, then eventually we may be able to help the brain to heal itself in response to injury or disease breakdown.

Melanie's role in the lab has been to help with the experiments and ensure the smooth running of the lab. In 2006 she will begin her PhD, studying the mechanisms of brain diseases.

Career Pathway

When talking about her tertiary education, Melanie says, "I took the long way." She began her BSc degree after leaving school, but her grades were poor and she decided to drop out half way through her third year.

Melanie then moved into the hospitality industry and worked as a waitress, maitre’D and later restaurant manager. She says that in her mid 20’s she realised she was going nowhere – fast, so she went back to university to complete her BSc.

She found working as a tutor for the Tuakana programme (a university-wide Maori and Pasifika tutorial programme) inspiring. She began to enjoy learning and became passionate about research after doing a summer studentship in the final year of her BSc.

Going on to do her MSc was a natural progression. It was hard work, but Melanie feels it was thoroughly worth it.

Melanie recently won the Biotechnology section of the MacDiarmid Young Scientist of the Year Awards. Her poster was a rap about her work on diabetic heart disease and Laszarin.

Interests

Melanie enjoys art (she paints whenever she gets time), reading a good book, watching live comedy, and hanging out with her friends and whanau. She has recently started getting back into sports. She swims, runs and plays touch ... but not all at once! Her aim is to "run a marathon before I get too old!"