Najini Korale Arachchige

Name: Najini Korale Arachchige
Nationality: Sri Lankan
Current Role:

Why did you choose to study at Monash, and has it met your expectations so far?

I chose to do my postgraduate studies at Monash as it is one of the leading universities in the world. I thought I’ll be able to widen my horizons by having collaborations with international researchers in a wider research network. Actually, I have made a right decision by selecting Monash as Monash gave me the opportunity to conduct a multidisciplinary research with a group of multinational researchers. This richer research experience not only helped me to sharpen my research skills but also my social skills.

Can you tell us briefly about your current research?

Our research is a multi-disciplinary research. We try to automate the segmentation process of cartilage region from hip magnetic resonance images (MRIs). Accurate segmentation of cartilage in the hip joint from MRIs provides basics for quantitative analysis of pathological conditions such as osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis (OA) is a very common condition among elderly population which is characterized by the degeneration of cartilage. Normally pain and the stiffness which are the main symptoms of OA comes at later stages of the disease. And also since there is no cure it is crucial to diagnose the condition as soon as possible. In this research we plan to provide accurate quantification analysis for the cartilage in the hip joint using MRIs which would help to diagnose hip osteoarthritis in its early stages.

What opportunities did you participate in while at Monash? E.g. conferences, study trips, volunteer programs, student exchange, etc.

Each year Monash organizes a list of events such as conferences, seminar series and talks form guest speakers especially for postgraduate students. I have participated in many of these events which focused on different research disciplines. And that was very useful for me as I was able to gain knowledge about many more things as well as get to know more fellow researchers.
Last year I went to Monash University Australia to carry out my research work for one month under the Vice Chancellor’s International Inter-campus Mobility Scheme. Also currently I am preparing to go MUA again to participate in FIT Graduate Retreat 2018 which will bring all Monash FIT graduate research students together. These opportunities provided by Monash university helps me to communicate my research work, exchange ideas and initiate collaboration.

Did you have any industry exposure/placements while studying at Monash? If so,
do you think it has made a difference for you in terms of career preparation?

As a higher degree by research student in Monash University, I was invited to several workshops and seminar series by different local and international companies. In 2016 September, I participated in a seminar series organized by MDEC and NVIDIA on Data
Intelligence with Deep Learning and Machine Learning. This gave me the opportunity to meet data analysts from the industry and talk to the about their research works. From this two days seminar series I not only gained knowledge about big data analytics but also got to know about the career opportunities in the industry after PhD. These opportunities helped me to have a
widen research network as well as to have a glance at the latest research trends in the industry.

Also I participated in the Network Industry Tea, which is an event organized by MUPA (Monash University Postgraduate Association) from which I got to know about many career opportunities in the industry. Most of the times postgraduates limit their career goals to academia but as a Monash postgraduate student I was given many opportunities to look beyond and widen my career goals.

What do you love most about your student life at Monash?

I think it’s the multinational, multicultural environment in Monash University, especially in Malaysia. Monash have students from different countries with different cultures. As a result of that in Monash we celebrate Chinese New Year, Nowruz which is Iranian New Year, Sri Lankan and Indian New Year, Hari Raya that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting, Christmas and many more. Another interesting thing about this multicultural environment is the diversity of food you can have on campus.

What are your career goals, or what impact would you like to have in the future?

I started my career in academia before my PhD and currently continuing as a teaching assistant. But while continuing my multidisciplinary research I found that I enjoy doing applied research more than pure basic research. So, I plan to find an R&D position in a research institute or in industry rather than choosing academia which is the most popular career path after a PhD. But then I don’t want to miss the satisfaction in experiencing “Aha! Moments” with students. So I will find a way to continue teaching to have more moments of joy and inspiration.