PhD Internship Proves Smart Career Move
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PhD INTERNSHIP PROVES SMART CAREER MOVE
A short-term PhD internship with CSL has influenced the way the global therapeutics company identifies new drugs and improves treatments for a range of conditions.
Dr Milica Ng first started at CSL in 2013 as a PhD intern, after catching the eye of CSL with her unique skill set across mathematics, computing and engineering.
From intern to department head in 5 years, Milica now leads CSL’s Data Science team and is taking on her own PhD interns, cultivating her team and supporting the company’s capacity to develop and deliver innovative biotherapies that save lives and help people with life-threatening medical conditions live full lives.
PhD Women in STEM Making Impact
Milica and her team are working alongside biomedical researchers leveraging bioinformatics, biostatistics, high-throughput image analytics, systems modelling and artificial intelligence approaches to support identification of new therapeutic targets and confirm effectiveness of existing therapies. With precision medicine now a focus, she also helps identify those likely to respond best to new therapies. Milica has thrived in this ever-changing landscape, driven by the challenge of rapidly advancing research technologies and the need to work with increasing volumes of data.
“I definitely enjoy the dynamic nature of the field. It is exciting to see the role of mathematical and other quantitative sciences evolve in medical and biological research with the rapid development of measuring platforms and technologies,”
Dr Milica Ng, CSL Head of Data Science
Driving Innovation and Accelerating Women in STEM
APR.Intern provides a vital link between universities and industry and its short-term project model has proven effective in providing research solutions to address current challenges. For Milica, it is this understanding of both academia and industry and unmatched access to multi-skilled and specialist graduates that delivers value.
‘APR.Intern is responsive to the challenges and needs of both academia and industry. It is not only helping close short and long-term skill gaps, but also continues to be instrumental in the creation of a much-needed pool of industry-ready Australian postgraduate students,’
Dr Milica Ng, CSL Head of Data Science
Now with experience on the other side of the fence, Milica is able to see the many advantages the program has for industry.
“When it comes to hiring researchers, such as bioinformaticians, APR.Intern offers access to skillsets that complement the team. It is invaluable to have the opportunity to mentor students and ensure they are equipped to drive future innovation”.
“An APR internship was a fantastic opportunity. At CSL I was able to work alongside high calibre biomedical researchers and increase my understanding of the field. At the same time I was getting real industry experience on a project with real impact and insight into the possibilities of informatics,” Milica added.
