Serena O'Neil

A little bit of detective work!

Serena O’Neil came to the Institute to step out of her comfort zone. A final year student at Murdoch University, Serena was looking for an Honours project that utilised the knowledge gained during her Bachelor of Science degree majoring in Molecular Biology and Biomedicine.

She started her Honours project in 2004 and was immediately impressed by the Institute.

“My first impression of the Institute was ‘wow!’,” she says. “It was open, light-filled and looked like an inviting workplace.”

Serena’s Honours project involved isolating and characterising two allergens from the house dust mite, the most common source of indoor allergen that causes asthma.

Keen to continue in research, Serena started her PhD within the same Molecular Biotechnology laboratory, this time looking at cat allergens - important risk factors for the development of allergic diseases like asthma.

“My PhD project aims to isolate, identify and characterise new cat allergens which will increase our understanding of the role and mechanism a particular allergen plays in sensitisation and determine the suitability of the particular allergen for use in diagnostics and immunotherapy.”

Serena was awarded a University Postgraduate Award followed by a Stan and Jean Perron top up scholarship.

Serena says her PhD has taught her that you learn much more putting principles into practice.

“It has also confirmed my passion for detective work, the thrill of investigating a problem and finding an answer.”

“On a personal note, I have learnt the value of coffee, the importance of a balanced life for your health and sanity, different levels of stress and the ability to bounce back.”

Serena’s immediate future plan is to finish her PhD and then continue to work in the research field, whether it be in Australia or overseas.

“I would be very excited if I could continue the work I have started and see it through to the end….but the nature of science is that there are always more questions to be answered, so I’ll probably choose a path that is the most challenging and exciting.”

And she says for all the pros and cons, she would repeat the PhD experience in a heartbeat.

“The lessons I have learnt about myself and the skills I have gained in allergy research and in general are invaluable and transferable to any field. I stepped out of my comfort zone and I’m a better person for it.”