Hilyah – Doctoral researcher in Clinical Research

I initially wanted to major in Psychology. Having grown up moving from country to country, I was intrigued by how people are shaped into the individuals they are now. My dad (who is also a researcher/professor in biochemistry), advised me to look outside the scope of Psychology for better career prospects. That's where I stumbled upon Neuroscience, and ended up doing my undergrad in Psychology with Neuropsychology. Its been quite a journey since!

So far in my studies, the course Consciousness and Brain has been quite a brain-picker and has pushed me to think of my research from other perspectives. I'm currently doing Psychiatry and Neuroimaging Methods courses which I was most excited for.

I started getting into Neuroimaging during my undergrad, and even did my thesis using MRI. It’s a rapidly growing crucial method of Neuroscience research. UTU has amazing resources for Neuroimaging, and I'm hoping to be involved and learn as many methods as possible. One of the projects I'm most looking forward to is my master's thesis, I'll be using EEG to look at emotion perception in children. That's all I can say for now.

My career plans have always been to teach. Academia is the way to go for now, so my next step will be a PhD. However, I'm quite the motor mouth when I want to be, and I love exchanging ideas with others. I find the best way to grow, is to help others grow.

I have dived into other interests of mine, including Public Speaking and Education improvement. In 2020 I founded my own organization: Gwel Education @gwel.academy, that provides services targeted towards improving one's education. I've been invited to speak at several functions about studying abroad, and other academic related topics. I've also been involved in organizing several youth conferences, and is definitely something I will continue to be doing.

I managed to learn practical skills needed in my field during my master's. I use these skills in my current position as a doctoral researcher. Turku is also a node part of Neurocenter Finland, and the networking events have helped me create connections with other Neuroscientists.

The programme is suitable for anyone with an interest in human behaviour and diseases, focusing on the brain and nervous system as the source. The curriculum has general courses targeted to ensure all the students from  multidisciplinary backgrounds have the same basic knowledge. With more specialized courses to ensure students understand different neuroscience research methodologies, neural disease symptoms and treatment, and clinical tests.