Hayley O’Farrell
"My supervisors help me manage my PhD and focus on my research topic."
Course
Mathematics PhD"I’m taking a PhD in Mathematics at Surrey. As part of this, I’m developing a scheme that performs monitoring of animal health surveillance data. If we can closely monitor atypical behaviour in animals, we may be able to predict or react to disease outbreaks in the early stages, which will benefit animal welfare in the future.
I’m using delay differential equations to model the possible consequences of vector-borne diseases in the UK (focusing on ‘Bluetongue’). I’m interested in the modelling of diseases, as it’s an important issue, not just for animal and public health, but for the economy as well.
"Their help is invaluable to me and I feel like I’m on the right track to finishing my PhD."
I owe a lot to my supervisors, as they help me manage my PhD and focus on my research topic. I’m hoping to publish some papers during my PhD. I’ve currently submitted one, and I’m waiting to hear back.
In terms of my subject, I’m glad I chose maths. Working within such an interdisciplinary department makes me think more about what others are studying, and opens my eyes to new research areas and collaborations. I feel that maths has such a wide range of application and that maths can help solve real-world problems.
And Surrey is so friendly, there’s lots going on, and it’s close to Guildford town centre. As for the future, I’m still thinking about what I want to do, but I’m swaying towards industry, where I can participate in hands-on research activity."
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