A leap into academia
Charan pursues masters in biomedical science
FIJI’S own Premika Charan has been chosen to pursue her Masters of Science in Biomedical Science program at Nottingham Trent University (NTU) in the UK under the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC).
The Fiji National University (FNU) staff member was all smiles as she spoke about the major experience she would get from the opportunity.
“When I found out I was a recipient of the scholarship, I was surprised and excited. I couldn’t believe that I had been selected for such a prestigious scholarship and was excited to receive such an opportunity.”
Miss Charan, is an assistant lecturer in the Department of Pathology and Medical Science at FNU’s College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences’ (CMNHS).
The 31-year-old said teaching at the college for the past four years empowered her to seek greater academic exposure in the field of biomedical science.
“When I saw this scholarship advertised, I felt I had to apply and seek an opportunity to achieve the above and gain insight from a developed nation in this field,” Miss Charan said.
She said the opportunity would allow her to upskill her qualifications and enhance her research skills.
FNU vice-chancellor Professor Nigel Healey congratulated Miss Charan on securing a scholarship to study in the UK.
“I am delighted that Charan has been given this wonderful opportunity to advance her academic career. I was pro vice-chancellor (International) and Head of the College of Business, Law and Social Sciences at Nottingham Trent University (NTU) before joining FNU in 2016 and I know that their biosciences research and postgraduate programs are very highly regarded internationally,” said Prof Healey.
“NTU is particularly strong in areas like cancer biology, immunology, antimicrobial resistance, diabetes and ageing, and bioinformatics.
“I am sure that Charan will return after her postgraduate study and make a real contribution to FNU and Fiji by helping us strengthen our own programs in some of these important areas,” he added.
Miss Charan arrived in the UK in September to acclimatise to the weather and culture and begin her year-long full-time studies at NTU.
“It’s currently autumn at the moment, and the weather is already so cold. Rain can be almost as unpredictable as Suva,” she said.
“There is a wide variety of cuisines available, and one can be spoilt with food choices, especially with the presence of a highly multicultural society.
“Nottingham Trent University, like most other universities on this side of the globe, is extremely student-centric. Learning materials are backed up with recorded sessions of lectures on “Moodle-like” software and delivery is paperless.”
She added staff members and students at NTU were heavily involved in research and support service delivery was well developed and accessible, with most of the services, electronic-based.
Miss Charan said while attaining the master’s qualification would be a personal and professional achievement for her, it would also benefit the staff members and students at CMNHS when she returns.
“This much-needed exposure will, in turn, equip me with the necessary tools to impart and share the knowledge with my colleagues at FNU and achieve better delivery of programs and syllabus to students, resulting in higher quality graduates,” she said.
“This opportunity will also provide the exposure for better and quality research, understanding of the latest techniques currently used in the field and provide the potential for enhancing and further developing programs.”
NTU dean of School of Science and Technology, Prof Mary O’Neill congratulated Miss Charan on gaining a prestigious Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC) scholarship.
“I welcome Charan to the School and to the Department of Biosciences, which is in the top twenty of all UK Biological Sciences departments, according to the Guardian newspaper,” said Prof O’Neill.
The dean for the College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Dr William May while wishing Miss Charan all the best in her studies, said such achievements would encourage other staff members and students to strive towards achieving their academic goals.
“Capacity building and training in the specialisms that are not available locally have always been a challenge for us at CMNHS,” Mr May said.
“This is one of our strategic priority. It is critical to creating a depth of knowledge and capacity within the college to achieve our vision.”
Charan is expected to graduate at the end of next year.