Diana is completing a PhD in Chemistry under the supervision of one of Australia’s leading analytical chemists, A/Prof. Alex Donald. Her PhD is on developing more sensitive and accurate analytical methodologies and instrumentation for disease diagnosis, with a particular focus on Parkinson’s Disease. In essence, her research involves obtaining chemical ‘fingerprints’ produced from volatile (or ‘smelly’) chemicals found at the surface of skin.
As a Fulbright Scholar, Diana will spend 4 months with A/Prof. Vijaya Kolachalama, a renowned computer scientist and expert in developing machine learning algorithms for disease diagnosis. There, she will develop an advanced machine learning method that can diagnose Parkinson’s Disease from a chemical ‘fingerprint’. The outcome of this research could enable early diagnosis and provide hope and prosperity to the Parkinson’s community. Upon her return, she will continue to support bilateral research collaborations through exploring the integration of machine learning and analytical instrumentation in precision medicine.