About me

Hello and welcome! I’m a research scientist and data scientist with a passion for computationally driven solutions to complex problems. My background is in physics, where I spent several years working in astrophysics and geophysics research. In recent years, I’ve found a new sense of purpose in medical data science, where I now apply the same core skills—scientific reasoning, programming, and data-driven problem solving—to challenges in healthcare. The opportunity to work with real-world clinical data and contribute to research that can directly benefit patients is something I find both motivating and deeply rewarding.

Since August 2024, I’ve been working at the University Hospital Zurich as a Data Scientist. My main focus is on the Save Sight Registries (SSR), a large international database for eye diseases that is considered one of the most comprehensive and clean datasets in ophthalmology. I work on statistical analysis for research publications, write production-ready code for other team members to use, produce visualisations, and collaborate closely with researchers and clinicians to help them get the most from this rich dataset. Before that, I spent six months on a short-term research contract at the University Hospital Basel, where I explored how AI tools, particularly large language models, can be used to understand mental, psychosocial, and psychosomatic stress and illness.

I earned my PhD in Physics with Special Qualification in Astronomy from the University of Bern, Switzerland under the supervision of Dr Martin Jutzi. Prior to this, I earned my master’s degree in Physics and Astrophysics at the University of Sheffield, UK with a year as an exchange student at Monash University, Australia. My academic research has been published in respected journals such as Nature Astronomy, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (MNRAS), Icarus and Geophysical Research Letters. The research topic during my PhD and subsequent postdoctoral research position is summarised well by the title of my thesis, “Planetary-Scale Impacts and their Geophysical Consequences”. In short, that means smashing planets together using smoothed-particle hydrodynamics (SPH) simulations and estimating what happens over billion-year timescales. More specifically, I studied impact-related hypotheses for the origin of the crustal dichotomy of Mars and the Sputnik Planitia region of Pluto. During my master’s degree, I analysed the results of N-body simulations to explore the stability of planets in binary star systems, under the supervision of Dr Richard Parker. Beyond research, I have found great pride in teaching students the wonders of maths and physics. It was through teaching that I discovered my deeper interest in data science and its power across disciplines.

Outside of work, I have always had a great passion for music (particularly of the heavier variety), and enjoy travel, running and the occasional attempt at skiing.