Sanni joins the group with a background in vision and multisensory perception research, and will be working as a research analyst across the UK Antimicrobial Registry (UKAR) and British Society for Rheumatology Psoriatic Arthritis (BSR-PsA) studies.
Tell us a bit about yourself
I am originally from Finland, but after over a decade spent here, I also call Scotland home. I first came to Aberdeen to do an undergraduate degree in Psychology and soon developed an interest in vision research as well as health and wellbeing. My PhD investigated multisensory perception in the presence and absence of conscious visual awareness. Although I was not working with clinical populations, the research was motivated by the need to understand multisensory processing in patients with cortical blindness. Having spent a lot of time conducting lab-based research, I am now looking forward to using real-world data to answer varied research questions.
What will you be investigating while you are in Aberdeen?
I will be working across the UK Antimicrobial Registry (UKAR) and British Society for Rheumatology Psoriatic Arthritis (BSR-PsA) studies in a research analyst capacity. Working on these studies will definitely keep my work varied and interesting, as they cover such a range of different questions. For example, I could be investigating the differences between individuals with and without fibromyalgia in a cohort of patients with psoriatic arthritis on one day and looking at how antimicrobial agents are used on multi-drug resistant organisms the next day.
Why did you choose Aberdeen?
Throughout my previous studies I had an interest in health research, and I did some relevant learning with one of the MSc Health Data Science online modules during my PhD. When I found out about the opportunity to work with the Epidemiology group, it felt like a great next step for me. In this role I can apply my existing research skills to real-world questions and further develop my analytical skills in a completely new area of research. I am delighted to be contributing to the important and interesting research of the group, and I’m looking forward to seeing where this research takes me.
Are you involved in any other research?
Though not actively involved in other research at the moment, I am working towards publishing select chapters from my PhD thesis. My PhD project investigated whether audio-visual information facilitates behaviour (e.g., faster reaction speed to light and sound compared to sound only) even when the visual information is not consciously perceived, and the underlying computational and neuronal mechanisms for this kind of ‘unconscious’ multisensory processing.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
I am happiest when I am spending time outdoors. When I can, I enjoy hiking and spending time in the woods foraging berries and mushrooms (don’t worry – I know what I’m doing!), as well as hill walking. I am slowly and steadily working through the list of Munros, hoping to one day get through them all. I also regularly take up, and give up, running. When I can’t get outside, I am most often found knitting or doing some other needlecraft.