Meet Lulu Qurotaini, Master of Data Science student
Lulu Qurotaini hopes to use data science to pursue a career in digital mental health.
An international student from Indonesia, Lulu completed her Bachelor of Computer Science at the University of Indonesia and is now in her first year at the University of Melbourne doing a Master of Data Science.
“Of all the universities in the world, I decided to choose the University of Melbourne because of the
quality of its research and innovation in digital mental health which fits in with my plan to pursue a career in digital mental health in the future. Seeing that Australia has put a lot of attention and effort into mental health over the past decade, especially focusing on digitalisation of mental health, made me decide that I want to take the opportunity to contribute and learn. Specifically, around the University of Melbourne, there are plenty of organizations and group that support this intention.”
With a passion for artificial intelligence, Lulu is keen to understand more on how we can make the computer understand human behavior better, quantification and automation. Human behaviours such as speech, visual and decision making all play a role.
“When it comes to utilizing this area of study for mental health, it may help us to address and understand some mental health problems in developing countries, especially caused by the shortage of mental health services. To date, at the University of Melbourne, I have learned about the concept of machine learning and some of its applications. Next year, we are encouraged to apply this knowledge through internships and capstone projects.
Lulu has enjoyed university life so far. “Everyone is so welcoming and accepts who we are despite different cultures. Since my field of study is the intersection of computer science and statistics, I have had the opportunity to know people from different backgrounds and experiences.”
During the last semester when online learning became challenging she had to complete projects with people not only from various backgrounds but also from different places and cultures, which required them to work online together. “We ended up setting weekly meetings at (almost) midnight. On one occasion, we also had to pull an all-nighter debugging our code together through Discord. We
did great and I am so happy I met these amazing people.”
Looking into the future, she would like to return to her home country in Indonesia and advance the artificial intelligence and digitalisation of mental health there. “I have come to the ideation of
becoming a researcher and an educator. I want to give back to the community of Indonesia through research, innovation, and education. In the future, I am determined to establish an ideal place where young generations in my home country can thrive in digital mental health innovation, fostering more talents through research. Although I am not sure what the future may hold, I am trying my best to fit myself for the future role by pursuing higher degrees.”
Lulu has a great advice to share with future and fellow students. “As a student in interdisciplinary fields, my advice is to mingle with others while you can. This will allow you to meet and learn from each other, something that you might have not known before, the things that you might never thought about. Learn about their cultures, experiences, perspectives, etc.. This is the perfect opportunity to network and learn as much as you can.”