Our November spotlight shines on Pauline Karega from Kenya. Pauline is a PhD student at the University of Manchester and a cofounder of the Bioinformatics Hub of Kenya Initiative (BHKi).
About Pauline
🎼 What is your favourite song?
🔉 I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For – U2
🔉 Don’t Stop Believin’ – Journey
📚 Can you describe your background and your current role?
What did you study?#
I have a biochemistry undergraduate degree from Kenyatta University in Nairobi, Kenya, and an almost Bioinformatics masters degree from Nairobi University, Kenya. (Awaiting graduation) I am currently a PhD student at the University of Manchester
What is the title of your current role?#
Postgraduate researcher
Give a one-sentence summary of what you do in this role#
I research how best to integrate environment and health data, comparing approaches in the global north and south
💼 Describe a typical workday… Expand specifically on the amount of time you spend coding
How much time do you spend coding?#
Approximately 4 hours
How many projects do you work on?#
2 projects
Give some keywords that summarise the topics of your projects.#
GIS, Sentinel, Landsat, respiratory illnesses, air pollution, health data, open data.
How often do you work with non-coding researchers?#
Very often
Work & Research
🏫 Tell us more about the organisation where you work?
What is their primary objective?#
Outside of my PhD, I work for Bioinformatics Hub of Kenya initiative, which aims to bridge the gap between early career and established researchers by building a cohesive community. We do this by running training events, doing outreaches in different universities, and running community meetups to support bioinformatics researchers and students.
How many people in your organisation are involved in research software development (a thumbsuck is okay)?#
Many are involved in the research side, addressing different genomics questions, focusing more on data analysis than software development
💡 Where do you get training and support?
💭 Do you see yourself as an academic, researcher, software engineer, technician…? All of it? Something else? A mix of one or two terms?
Community & Reflection
⛔ What kind of barriers do you face in your work?
😍 What part of your job do you enjoy the most?
🆘 What would make things easier for you and support you in your work?
🔭 What are you looking forward to this year?
About Pauline
💬 Please share the most helpful career advice you’ve received that you want to share with other Africans in similar roles.