Dilakshi Lekamge, a PhD student from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, was awarded a fellowship under the Global Development Hub Fellows Fund at the Imperial College London and undertook a high-impact short-term research placement at the School of Public Health, Imperial College London, from January 2025 to March 2025. At Imperial Dilakshi was hosted in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the School of Public Health by Professor Marc Chadeau-Hyam.
“I am truly grateful to have received the Global Development Hub Fellows Fund and to be part of the 2024-25 Cohort of this prestigious fellowship at Imperial College London. This milestone wouldn’t have been possible without the unwavering guidance and support from my PhD supervisors, my host supervisor Professor Marc Chadeau-Hyam and the Global Health Research Unit (GHRU) during every step of this journey from the very beginning of the application process. A very special thanks to the Global Development Hub at Imperial College London for hosting me and providing an exceptional platform for learning, collaboration, and growth.”
In her PhD research Dilakshi is focusing on risk prediction of impaired lung function and hypertension among South Asian adults. Therefore, the three-month placement at the Imperial College London provided her an excellent opportunity to enhance the knowledge and gain insight into advanced technologies on risk prediction model creation and geospatial mapping enabling a critical step in her capacity building.
“This fellowship has been a turning point in my academic journey. I had the opportunity to work closely with Professor Marc Chadeau and his experienced research team. Further, I was also able to audit Computational Epidemiology, Machine Learning and Bayesian Reasoning and Methods for Spatio-Temporal Data modules from the MSc in Health Data analytics. The theoretical and practical knowledge gained through these modules is currently applied for my PhD data analysis. The three months spent at Imperial has not only enriched my research skills but also expanded my global network connections enabling me to meet inspiring individuals around the world providing access to a vibrant research environment that will shape my future as a public health researcher. This placement significantly contributed to the advancement of my PhD research through the understanding of interdisciplinary global health research.”
As an early career researcher, this placement provided her the opportunity to attend workshops, conferences, seminars, webinars and other training sessions conducted by the Imperial College London.
“I also had the opportunity to present my PhD research update to my research team during the lab meetings, where they provided positive feedback and expressed that they were happy to collaborate with my research work, which again was a very rewarding and motivating experience for me.”
“I would like to encourage the PhD students from Least Developed and Lower Middle-Income Countries to apply for this invaluable opportunity to enhance their research career and engage with the global research community through this short-term research placement offered by the Global Development Hub at the Imperial College London. Believe in yourself and give it your very best and let your passion shine through.”
Global Development Hub Fellows 2024-25 | About | Imperial College London
