Mikaela Westlake
AMSI Summer Research Scholar 2022-2023
In this interview Mikaela shares how her career journey, fuelled by curiosity and personal motivation from losing loved ones to cancer, led her to a PhD in biomedical engineering where she’s exploring innovative cancer treatment methods. Mikaela credits AMSI with boosting her confidence and confirming research as a viable career path. A strong advocate for young women in STEM, she emphasises the importance of having the right support and mentors, encouraging students to embrace uncertainty and take chances.
What is your role in the Mathematical Sciences?
Currently, I am a sessional academic at QUT within the school of mathematical sciences, teaching a couple of first and second year math courses! These are primarily in the engineering space, including computation explorations, introductory calculus and electrical mathematics. Despite my research career leaning more towards biomedical engineering, I continue to teach these subjects to keep myself engrossed in the world of maths. I’ve been teaching these courses for almost five years alongside my own studies and love every second of it! Especially being the tutor I wish I had when doing these subjects myself.
As an AMSI alumnus, how did participating in AMSI programs support your career trajectory?
Through my undergraduate in computational mathematics, I pursued many different research programs within QUT including their own summer research scholarships. Most of the work I was doing surrounded modelling melanoma progression and oncolytic virotherapy using various methods and mathematical techniques. The highlight of the AMSI program was the opportunity to present my research to a larger range of aspiring mathematicians, all with unique backgrounds and understanding. It was exciting to see others be curious and interested in the research I was conducting, a real confidence booster. The whole experience also confirmed that a career in research is totally possible and achievable, regardless of the field I was in. It gave me the nudge in the right direction to continue mathematical research in the medical/cancer space.
You are currently a sessional academic at QUT, while completing your PhD in Biomedical/ Medical Engineering. Can you tell us a bit about what inspired you to pursue a PhD and what your career aspirations are?
As I mentioned, I did A LOT of research programs during undergrad and my honours, really testing the waters of how a career can come from the exciting work I was doing. I was very unsure of what to do when I finished my undergrad, it is a really scary thing to think about. In the last semester of my degrees, I was granted a Future Research Careers Scholarship within faculty of engineering. That whole experience along with the overwhelming support from supervisors gave me the confidence to commit to a PhD. Having the right supervisors can really make or break your experience on a project!
Anything related to cancer treatment research holds a spot near and dear to my heart having lost some very close loved ones over the last few years. This personal motivation really pushed me to contribute any way I can to furthering our understanding and improve patient outcomes.
I will note, my PhD is in a research area completely new to me but is also extremely exciting. I am looking into developing new methods to culture breast and prostate cancer explants outside the body using hydrogels. From there, we can assess protein and genomic changes from radiation therapy in attempt to make predictive models. At the moment it isn’t math heavy, but I am excited to dive into the world of bioinformatics next year to analyse digital spatial profiling data.
You are currently a mentor for the AMSI 2024/25 Yuille-Umbers Scholars, how incredible! What motivated you to become a mentor and what has the program been like so far?
The Yuille-Umbers Scholarship is such an awesome way to connect current students to people like me! There was one particular student who received the scholarship that I really connected with. She absolutely loves maths and is also interested in pursuing a career in biomedical engineering, exactly what I wanted to do at that age. I know how many questions I had back then, making all sorts of big choices with little to no guidance, and would love to be a role model to aid her in her own journey.
Mia and I meet every couple of weeks and just chat. The program suggests more space between meetings, but we both decided we wanted this program to be more involved, acting more as a friend she can come to with questions. I really look forward to chatting with Mia and thinking of ways we can continue to explore her passion for maths over the next couple years!
What the 2024 AMSI Year 12 Mathematics Participation Report Card continues to show is that the maths participation in Year 12 remains at all-time lows. Given this data, what words of encouragement would you give to young people, particularly females, unsure whether they should continue study in maths and STEM disciplines?
When I completed math B and C (I know, old person doing the OP system), the majority of our classes were female. Given we had around 15 people max, it isn’t too impressive. I feel as though the reason so many young people are moving away from STEM disciplines is not having the right people to rely on and mentor them. My math and physics classes were my favourites, mainly because of the teacher I had, he was an absolute legend who taught me from years 10-12 and had a dingo as a “pet” at one point. Something he always said is that math is a practical subject like basketball. If you read the rule book you will never get any better at playing. Same goes for reading math textbooks and theories.
Even through my undergrad in maths, I had no idea what I was doing (I still don’t) and that is totally ok. If you have the right attitude and support, you would be surprised as to what you can achieve. You will always feel like you suck at everything compared to others, but they also feel the same. The comradery between young mathematicians who are doing what they enjoy is the best feeling, everyone is struggling together. Another piece of advice is to take any opportunity you can! What is the worst someone will say, No? Don’t get me wrong, it absolutely sucks, but it means there is always another opportunity coming your way. I wouldn’t be where I am today without going out of a limb to try something new.
As an AMSI alumni, why do you believe students would benefit in participating in AMSI programs outside of career development?
Some of the people I met during my AMSI research scholarship are the loveliest people you will ever encounter. My favourite thing is to check in on what amazing things they are up to on LinkedIn, seeing where their maths careers have taken them. Being AMSI alumni also gives you access to so many opportunities such as mentoring for the Yuille-Umbers Scholarship! Access to other AMSI programs such as their winter and summer school also provide awesome opportunities to learn from other experts in their fields from across the country. I haven’t participated in one yet, but have my eye on some upcoming events.
What do you hope for the future of mathematics in Australia and globally?
More people giving it a go! Not everyone has to make an enormous scientific breakthrough to make an impact on our understanding of the world around us. I believe a lot of people dismiss careers in mathematics as it appears as a dead end when in fact, the skills you learn through studying mathematics are highly transferable to other subject areas.
What are your hobbies or interests outside of work?
I have a big commute to Brisbane every day and have discovered a new love for books. I will read almost anything and can devour 2, sometimes 3 books a week! So far, I’ve racked up 36 books this year alone. Reading on my commute is such a great way to get my brain moving in the morning or unwinding and escaping in the evening. I also crochet! Especially jumpers (not that practical considering I live in Qld) but fun nonetheless.
