Tara joined NCARD in September this year. She is our new Project Officer and is mainly in charge of comms, as well as assisting with day-to-day administration tasks. Get to know a bit about Tara here:

Hi everyone! I was born in Singapore, but moved to Perth when I was 7. I studied a Bachelor of Science in physics and genetics at the University of Western Australia, before completing my honours in genetics. My project involved using the Oxford Nanopore MinION sequencer to identify cryptic whitefly species in the field in East Africa. It was a really rewarding experience, and I got to work with some cool technology.

After my honours, I started a Masters in Bioinformatics at the University of Melbourne. I didn’t complete it due to pandemic complications, but I retain a keen interest in everything bioinformatics-related.

I came home to Perth and am now working at NCARD. I like to think of myself as a ‘jack of all trades’ – I’ve had experience in research, data analysis and communication.

I absolutely love working at NCARD – the people here are a lovely bunch, and they’re clearly passionate about their work. It’s inspiring to witness!

My hobbies include sports (especially tennis and padel!), reading, fountain pens and anything ornithological. Outside of work, you can catch me on the tennis court, with my nose in a book or hanging out with my dogs.

I look forward to telling you all about the great work we produce here at NCARD!