Soumitra Bhide is currently doing a PhD in BioSciences at the University of Melbourne after completing a Master of Science (BioSciences) and graduating from the BSc (Blended) program.
Why did you choose Melbourne? What opportunities did you see undertaking study at Melbourne would represent? With your top score in India for the JAM entrance exam you could have chosen to enrol at one of India’s elite IITs.
“I chose to study at the University of Melbourne as it is a very prestigious university, ranked #1 in Australia and #32 worldwide. I felt that a degree from the University would strengthen my chances to have a successful global career. Before accepting my offer at the University, I was offered several opportunities to do postgraduate study at some of the most elite institutions in India; however, I chose Melbourne not only because I was offered a scholarship, but because I would be able to work with people from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds. I believe that this will help me a great deal when I collaborate and build networks in future with foreign institutes for my research.”
What will you be studying when you are here and why did you choose this project? What did you find inspiring that helped you to make this choice?
“I will be joining the “Master of Science (Bioscience)” in 2020 and will be taking up subjects closely related to population biology and evolutionary developmental biology (Evo Devo). I have chosen to work on mode of action of insecticide in Drosophila. Drosophila is considered as a model system in developmental biology. Thus working with drosophila during my master’s degree will help me pursue further research in Evo Devo using Drosophila. I was inspired to pursue this area of research by Charles Robin who will be one of my supervisors for my MSc. I met Charles during the BSc (Blended) research camp in 2018. He gave us lecture on Insect gene drive. It was very intriguing and sparked my interest in Ecology and Evo Devo.”
What are your longer term career ambitions and interest in research?
“I want to pursue an academic career in science research and teach while doing my research. Evolution of homeotic genes is one of the areas I would like to explore (as of now). In today’s world, there is a dire need of scientists. I would like to encourage more people to take up fundamental sciences as their career option. I wish to do so with help of my teaching. With my research, I would like to uncover how evolution of certain gene has occurred and how they are expressed. This might have real life applications in the field of genetic diseases and their treatments.”
What was your experience like as BSc Blended student? Would you recommend the course to other students?
“When I joined the blended program, I was not sure if this was the right course for me. One of the reasons being that we would have to study PCMB (Physics, Chemistry, Math, Biology) for first two years. After the first semester, I came to realize that the syllabus is very well designed. The four core subjects studied in the course represent the foundation disciplines of science and cover almost every aspect of prerequisite subjects which you may need to pursue postgraduate study in BioSciences and Environmental Sciences. Studying all four subjects also helped me clear fundamental concepts. This was one of the key factors which lead me to securing All India Rank #1 in JAM. I would highly recommend this course to students who want to pursue career in research, and to those who are not yet sure of their interest and wish to explore possibilities. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who was involved in creating and coordinating this wonderful bachelor’s program.”
When you received the highest mark in the JAM entrance exam how did this change your life?
“Before JAM, I was planning to join a local college in Pune to obtain my Master’s degree and then pursue my Ph.D. abroad. However, when I received the top score in all of India for JAM, it opened my horizons with opportunities offered to me to study at some of the most elite Indian Institute’s of Science, TATA as well as International institutes. The University of Melbourne were so impressed by my academic achievement that I was offered a 100% fee remission scholarship for the Master of BioSciences. I believe that this offer was made possible because of my JAM score, and I will be starting my Master study at the University in 2020.
I would like to take the opportunity to thank University of Melbourne, IISER-Pune, SPPU, and Modern college for giving me the opportunity to benefit from the BSc (Blended) collaboration. Special thanks also to Charles Robin, Alex Johnson, Andrew Drinnan and Jessica Piesse for guiding me through this process.