"I find infectious diseases caused by something you cannot see fascinating – but also scary. It can shut down an entire world. I hope my work can help reduce or prevent the spread of these diseases," says Maja Lykke Brinch, PhD student at the DTU National Food Institute, with Professor Tine Hald as supervisor.
Tine Hald is a crucial reason why Maja embarked on the PhD programme. She started by taking a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Food Safety and Quality, which was a little too much about safety in food production and not enough about diseases to her liking. Therefore, immediately after graduation, she studied for a Master of Science in Food Technology and used all her electives for courses in epidemiology and control of infectious diseases. This was precisely Tine Hald's area, and when Maja had to choose the topic for her thesis, she sought advice from Tine.
"You like numbers, right?" Tine asked. Maja could nod yes to this, and Tine suggested that she work with different models in connection with so-called source attributions, which create an overview of the sources of foodborne infections in humans.
These models, which help the authorities get the best conditions for taking action against the infections, have been made for several years by DTU National Food Institute for Salmonella bacteria. However, since Campylobacter is the leading cause of stomach infections in Denmark, it made sense to also make a model for this bacterium.
However, it is somewhat more complicated. Therefore, more processing power is also needed to make the model. Maja's thesis was about different methods that can be used when the Campylobacter bacteria are to be analysed, grouped, and then traced to the source using artificial intelligence.
PhD with a European angle
The same evening, as she had defended her thesis, Maja received a phone call from Tine Hald, who asked if she would like to continue the modelling work in a European collaboration project, now as a PhD student. Maja needed no reflection time – with Tine as her supervisor and an insatiable interest in diseases and food, she was ready to take on the challenge:
"I've had to learn computer programming along the way. I was also not proficient in English in high school, but I learned it because I had to use it in the context of something exciting. Now, I can both write and give presentations in English, and I have spent three months studying in Canada. A PhD, after all, is not just an ordinary job but an education. You don't necessarily have to know everything in advance."
Maja is so happy to work with the modelling work that she hopes to stay at DTU and follow the large EU project, even after she has received her PhD degree.
"It's exciting to be involved in such big projects with partners from all over Europe, and I'd like to see how it turns out," she says.
