Saumya talks about her journey from studying MSc Data and Decision Analytics at Southampton to mitigating agricultural risks in her home country of India.
Saumya says the support she received while studying at Southampton enabled her to settle into life as a student in a foreign country and develop strong social and networking skills.
I gained confidence in my abilities and built a small, but valuable, network of professionals and professors. The diverse environment also enhanced my ability to collaborate across different cultures and disciplines and this has been invaluable to my career.
Saumya chose to come to Southampton because it is one of the top global universities with a highly regarded mathematical sciences department, and a variety of scholarship options available.
She was fortunate to be awarded a British Council Scholarship for women in STEM. This enabled her to pursue a fully funded master’s degree, with the scholarship covering her tuition fees, monthly stipend, return airfare, visa processing costs, and other essential expenses.
She said: “The scholarship gave me the financial freedom to focus fully on my studies and spend more time on my dissertation without stress. One of the highlights was attending the annual British Council conference, where scholars from around the world come together to share their experiences, build networks and support each other.”
Saumya, tells us what it was like to move to the UK to study at the University of Southampton.
After she graduated, Saumya decided to honour the scholarship’s spirit by working in the development sector and contributing back to her home country of India. She joined the Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA), a United Nations’ research institute focused on agriculture and climate change, where she works as a data analyst.
She said: “Since joining BISA, I have been part of the Atlas of Climate Adaptation in South Asian Agriculture (ACASA) project that is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.”
Saumya says her biggest career success was developing and launching a web-based Geographic Information System application for the ACASA project where she created and designed the initial version of the app from scratch.
“Despite having no prior experience in software development, agriculture or spatial analysis, I managed to launch the app within six months of joining the project.”
Saumya
Saumya thoroughly enjoyed the diversity she experienced at the University and in the City of Southampton. She said: “It was very easy to settle in, make friends and feel welcome in a very inclusive environment.” She took part in various club and sports activities including swimming, volleyball and going to the gym.
She says that even when she started to feel overwhelmed, help and support was on hand to help her. She recalls: “During my dissertation, things became stressful. I had taken on too many things, and I started to feel overwhelmed and anxious. I went to the Student Hub to ask for help, where I met a wonderful counsellor who listened calmly to me and helped me identify the source of my anxiety. They supported me over the following months by suggesting evets and sessions that could help manage my stress.
“I felt supported and learnt to channel my emotions and energy more effectively. I started focusing on the most urgent and important tasks first, rather than trying to do everything at once.”
Saumya
Saumya says that data analysis and machine learning have a wide range of interdisciplinary applications in today’s world, and she encourages new graduates to be open to exploring research areas and fields even if they feel they lack background knowledge.
She said: “Often subject matter experts need data skills and this is where you can contribute effectively."
