Welcome to the third part of our intern blog series! In this blog, we will be meeting four more interns who share insights about their work, their motivations for joining the programme, and their future aspirations.
Jacob Hart
Where and what were you studying before you started your internship?
I am studying a BSc in Mathematics and Computer Science at Swansea University.
What attracted you to apply to the Population Data Science internship programme?
The opportunity to do real, interesting research, while gaining great professional experience.
Could you tell us a little about the project you will be/are working on?
Comparing machine learning models for dementia diagnosis trained on synthetic vs real neuroimaging data.
What do you hope to learn, achieve, or contribute during your time with us?
I hope to have substantially contributed to what is a genuinely important and cutting-edge research topic.
Do you have a career in mind at the moment, and how do you hope the internship will help you towards that goal?
I would like to become a data science researcher, so this internship is, of course, perfect for that goal.
Jiahui Guo
Where and what were you studying before you started your internship?
I was studying for a BSc in Social Policy and Sociology at the University of Bristol.
What attracted you to apply to the Population Data Science internship programme?
I was attracted by the programme’s structured training, mentorship, and opportunities to connect with researchers and professionals in the field. Throughout my studies, I became increasingly interested in research that can improve health outcomes and reduce inequalities. Population data science appealed to me because it can use real-world data to identify patterns, make health inequalities more visible, and generate evidence to inform policymaking. I see this programme as a valuable opportunity to develop my skills in health data science and gain practical experience in population health research.
Could you tell us a little about the project you will be/are working on?
I am working on a systematic review examining the effects of GLP-1 inhibitors (e.g. Mounjaro and Ozempic) on Chronic Kidney Disease, Type 2 Diabetes, and obesity. The project brings together evidence from existing studies to better understand how these treatments affect health outcomes and may help inform future clinical practice and healthcare policy.
What do you hope to learn, achieve, or contribute during your time with us?
I hope this internship will give me a better understanding of how collaborative research is carried out in practice, while also helping me develop stronger quantitative research skills and prepare for my upcoming Master’s in Population Health Science. In particular, I would like to develop practical skills in R, gain a better understanding of how to choose appropriate statistical models for different research questions and data types, and improve my data analysis and interpretation skills. In terms of contribution, I have prior experience in conducting literature reviews and working with research data. I hope to apply these skills to the project while learning from experienced researchers and developing a stronger understanding of health data science in practice.
Do you have a career in mind at the moment, and how do you hope the internship will help you towards that goal?
I am interested in becoming a mixed-methods researcher in population health, particularly in primary healthcare and in research aimed at improving health outcomes for people from disadvantaged backgrounds. I hope this internship will help me strengthen my quantitative data analysis skills, connect with researchers in the field, gain a better understanding of what a research career entails, and become more confident in conducting independent research in the future.
Joy Mbaulu
Where and what were you studying before you started your internship?
Prior to starting the internship, I completed a BSc in Biochemistry and an MSc in Tissue Engineering at Cardiff University.
What attracted you to apply to the Population Data Science internship programme?
I was attracted to the opportunity to work on a public engagement-focused project with ADR Wales. The project’s emphasis on AI and algorithmic tools in administrative data research aligned closely with my interests in research ethics, transparency, and public involvement in the use of data for research.
Could you tell us a little about the project you will be/are working on?
My project focuses on supporting the development of ADR Wales’ public engagement strategy regarding the use of AI and algorithmic tools in administrative data research. It aims to help ensure that communication about these technologies is clear, transparent and accessible, while supporting meaningful involvement and dialogue. The project will contribute to practical resources to help researchers engage effectively around complex and emerging technologies.
What do you hope to learn, achieve, or contribute during your time with us?
I hope to develop a better understanding of how emerging technologies can support administrative data research, alongside the ethical, governance and public engagement considerations involved. I also hope to contribute practical resources that promote transparency, accountability and inclusive engagement, while gaining insight into how research, policy and data science intersect in practice.
Do you have a career in mind at the moment, and how do you hope the internship will help you towards that goal?
I am particularly interested in how public trust and ethical frameworks can support the responsible use of data and emerging technologies. I hope the internship will provide a strong foundation for working at the intersection of research, policy, governance and public engagement.
Reshma Pandit
When and what were you studying before you started your internship?
Before starting this internship, I completed the London School of Economics (LSE) Data Analytics Career Accelerator to transition into health data science, developing skills in Python, R, SQL, and data visualisation. Prior to this, I worked in clinical genomics after completing my PhD in Applied Biology (Cancer Genetics) at the University of Mumbai.
What attracted you to apply to the Population Data Science internship programme?
Following my recent transition into data analytics, I was looking for an opportunity to gain hands-on experience in the UK health data science sector while contributing to research with real-world impact. Having worked with patient-level clinical and genomic data, I’m excited to now explore how population-scale data can help answer broader questions about healthcare and public health. I was particularly drawn to the opportunity to work closely with the CONNECT-AF team and learn more about their approaches to deploying complex analytical and federated models at population scale on health data. The Population Data Science internship is an ideal next step in my journey into health data science.
Could you tell us a little about the project you will be/are working on?
I am working with Dr. Torabi’s research team on the CONNECT-AF project. The team is developing federated approaches to analyse healthcare data securely across multiple Trusted Research Environments (TREs) without moving sensitive patient data. My role focuses on harmonising data assets, assessing dataset readiness, and developing reproducible analytical workflows. These methods will directly support CONNECT-AF and their research into atrial fibrillation and cognitive decline, using the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) data to depict patient-reported outcomes.
What do you hope to learn, achieve and contribute during your time with us?
I hope to contribute to developing robust data curation pipelines and reproducible, federated-ready, analytical workflows while learning from colleagues across different disciplines. I am also looking forward to strengthening my skills in population data science, particularly in working with large-scale longitudinal health data and federated analytics, and gaining a deeper understanding of how collaborative, data-driven research can inform better healthcare.
Do you have a career in mind at the moment, and how do you hope the internship will help you towards that goal?
My long-term goal is to build a career in health data science, using data to generate evidence that supports better healthcare policy, research and patient outcomes. One week in, I already feel I am in the right place with my internship and the team. I hope the full experience will deepen both my technical knowledge and my understanding of population health research while giving me the opportunity to contribute to meaningful, collaborative projects.
For the latest updates on our Intern Programme, visit https://popdatasci.swan.ac.uk/about-us/summer-internship-programme/