By Mahjabeen Khan

Are you brave enough to travel 10,000km away from home to pursue your dream? Zahra Tajbakhsh is! Growing up in Fars province, Iran, Zahra always excelled academically in science subjects, so much that her family nickname was Dr Zahra. Years later, Zahra used her skills to become an optometrist, helping treat people with a range of eye conditions. Curiously however got the better of her and she decided to pursue the dream of becoming Dr Zahra, taking up a PhD in Australia. She now works at the School of Optometry at UNSW, studying how immune cells in the eye cause allergies. 

 

You’re a vision science researcher.  What lead you down this path?

During elementary and high school, I was great at science-based subjects like chemistry, biology and maths and thus I knew I wanted a career related to science. My family were very supportive of this and even used to call me ‘Dr Zahra’. However, when I passed the university entrance exam, I didn’t actually know what type of science I wanted to pursue so I selected the optometry simply based on the fact that it received a high credit score and I had one.

After I graduated as an optometrist, I realised how useful I could be for people who were suffering from eye-related diseases. Whenever my patients came back to me and talked about how happy they were with their treatments, I felt so proud and happy. However, I also found myself wanting to go beyond just treating patients and actually increase the knowledge in the field. So, I took a big leap and moved 10,623km away from my family and friends in Iran to do a PhD in Australia. It was a really big decision, but I love learning new things every day and getting closer to actually becoming ‘Dr Zahra’.

What is your PhD project about?

My PhD project focuses on allergies which affect the eye. These are known as ocular allergies. Ocular allergies are a problem because they are increasing in prevalence worldwide and all the current treatments for these allergies only provide sufferers with temporary relief. In my PhD, I am studying the special immune cells responsible for initiating allergies in the eye. If we can understand how these cells cause allergies, then we can hopefully develop better treatments in the future.

What part of your research do you find most interesting?

I love all the parts of research! I like finding gaps in the current knowledge and designing a research aim. I also like conducting experiments, collecting data and analysing it. I find it interesting and love the feeling that I am adding new information to the scientific world.

What do you get up to when you are not doing research?

I love music and have just started to learn an instrument called the Sitar. It is a traditional Iranian instrument. I also like to read philosophy and poetry books, hang out with friends and watch movies.

What are your plans after you finish your PhD?

I would like to continue to do research, probably with research and development companies. I think the important part of the research is to be able to translate results into products and services which can be used by people.

The UNSW Women’s in Maths and Science program is all about sharing science with the public, particularly the younger generation. What’s your message to the younger generation about science?

I encourage young people to look at science and science related careers and don’t think that they are too hard. Whilst I have definitely  found it hard sometimes it’s worth persisting. Like all things in life, no matter how hard it is or how many times you may fail, if you trust yourself and love what you are doing, it will all be worth it.

 

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By Lisa Nivison-Smith

From drawing chemical structures on the back of Panadol packets when she was a little girl to now developing drugs which may replace antibiotics, PhD candidate Basmah Almohaywi, has come a long way on her science journey. Originally hailing from Saudi Arabia, Basmah moved to Australia to pursue a career in research in medicinal chemistry and now works with renown chemists at UNSW, developing antimicrobial agents. When she is not researching, Basmah is playing with her beautiful daughters or working on inspiring other children to find science.

 

1. Tell me a little about yourself. How did you end up at studying a PhD at UNSW?

I have been interested in chemistry ever since I was little. I remember looking through the leaflets in the boxes of prescription medications and being fascinated by the chemical structures and their long funny names. I would even look carefully at the structures of every medication and try to draw them on a scrap paper.

At school, I gradually became more interested in organic chemistry as well as the chemistry of our body (biochemistry) and biology. This led me to do a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry at King Abdul-Aziz University in my home country of Saudi Arabia. I then came to Australia and did Masters at the University of Tasmania in Pharmaceutical Science and research in medicinal chemistry. I really liked this research area so I decided to do a PhD in this area too.

2. Your PhD research looks at designing new antimicrobial agents. What made you chose this area of research?

I really like medicinal chemistry and the idea of developing drugs and molecules to help people. This Phd project was particularly attractive as it looked at creating alternatives to traditional antibiotics which had the potential to revolutionise healthcare.

Specifically, I am creating molecules which disrupt the way bacteria communicate with one another. Bacteria can communicate using a method called quorum sensing to act as a whole group rather than single cell organisms and cause disease. By inhibiting quorum sensing we can potentially stop bacteria making people sick. Better still, these treatments introduce no selective pressure so unlike antibiotics there is no risk of evolving ‘super bugs‘.

3.  People often think a PhD is just about learning how to do research. Is that true?

Definitely not! A PhD involves learning a lot more than learning the scientific method. Often most experiments don’t work the first time (or the second or third) and we need to do alot of trial and error. Therefore, a PhD teaches you patience and patience and more patience!

PhDs also often involve doing many activities at once so learning time management is crucial. I like to set up a weekly plan every Friday with ‘an everyday time-line’. Sometime things go as planned and sometimes not so I just try my best to stick to the plan or modify it if needed.

Personally, I have also had to learn how to manage work life-balance. Doing PhD while having two growing kids is very challenging as I often spend time doing research when I would usually play with them. Sometimes you have to find a way to deal with that inner conflict to manage time between work and kids.

4. We know PhD’s can be stressful, what do you like to do to relax?

I spend time with my daughters, taking them to park, swimming, exercising, watching movies and going to the library and museums. I also try to give myself time to reflect in silence and generally meditate for 10 to 20 mins before I go to sleep.

5. What advice would you give others doing or considering a PhD?

Don’t settle for any project. Make sure you do your research to find a research area that really fits your interests. This is not always easy but it will make a big difference in the long run.

6. Why did you join the UNSW Women Science Champions program?

I was inspired by Dr Stephen Aldous during my master at the university of Tasmania when he was teaching medicinal chemistry to pharmacy students before retiring on that semester. Whenever he introduces a concept about medicinal chemistry he would deliver it the simplest way and he would talk to us with lots of love to the subject. During his lectures, I was 100% conscious and astonished to everything that he taught us.

I really want to be able to help introduce young children to science and inspire them to consider science in their future like Dr Aldous did for me. The program was an opportunity for me to develop my personal skills to be able to do this effectively. I love now being a UNSW women science champion and engaging with children and science.

 

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