How the Lancaster-Sunway Partnership Helped PhD Candidate Arjun

Hello! I am Arjun Thanaraju from Malaysia. The Lancaster-Sunway partnership has been the cornerstone of my tertiary education journey. I chose to pursue my BSc (Hons) Biology with Psychology at Sunway University because it was the only university in Malaysia which offered an interdisciplinary course that catered to my interest in the biological basis of human behaviour. The promise of receiving certificates from both Sunway University and Lancaster University upon graduating also meant that I could get a UK education from home!

After completing my degree, I had the opportunity to continue at Sunway University to pursue a PhD in the area of ageing neuroscience. The Lancaster-Sunway research partnership allowed me to travel to Lancaster University multiple times including a one-month training visit where I joined the team at the Centre for Ageing Research (C4AR) as they conducted a series of exciting studies on using the creative arts (which has always been a passion of mine!) to promote cognitive health in older adults and people living with dementia.

I can honestly say that I would not be the researcher (or person) that I am today without the Lancaster-Sunway partnership. Not only did I get to meet and learn from outstanding teachers and researchers, I also found an extremely kind and welcoming community where I truly feel like I belong!