The Univeristy of Melbourne The Royal Melbourne Hopspital

A joint venture between The University of Melbourne and The Royal Melbourne Hospital

Magnus Jespersen

Meet our graduate researchers - Magnus Jespersen

Research title:Characterising the molecular drivers of group A Streptococcal evolution 

Davies Group 

Started PhD studies in 2019  

 

What and where did you study before your PhD?  

I completed both my bachelor’s and master’s degree at the University of Southern Denmark, where I worked with professor Birgitte Kallipolitis on Listeria monocytogenes. I completed my master’s degree in 2019 after which I relocated to Australia to commence my PhD.  It is common in Denmark for a PhD candidate to have completed a master’s degree before commencing a PhD, which allowed me to start a PhD shortly after graduation with little problem. 

  

What made you decide to undertake a PhD at the Doherty Institute?  

The field that I was interested in did not have many experts in Denmark, which led me outside of the country. The Doherty Institute seemed to have multiple people working in the subject that I was interested in, suggesting a strong research environment. I also liked my future supervisor’s attitude toward research and the culture in the group. 

  

When do you hope to complete and what are your plans post-PhD? 

I hope to hand in my thesis in the first quarter of 2023. After completion I plan to return to Denmark and hopefully land a job in the biotech industry, preferably in research and development of new bacterial strains for food production.   

  

What advice do you have for someone who is considering a PhD? 

You should do a PhD if you think you can enjoy the process of doing a PhD. If you cannot see yourself enjoying the process but just want the title, I would be hesitant to start. There will be ups and downs, but the overall, the process of day to day PhD life should seem enjoyable to you. A second thing is understanding yourself as a student, how you work when doing a project, what your reaction to challenges is, and how your prospective supervisor or their group can function. Will you require or have the opportunity for day-to-day supervision, weekly catch-ups, or how will things work? This is just one example you can ask yourself and a prospective supervisor. 

Current research projects available