Albus Health

Lisa Nobis, Wolfson College, Fourth Year DPhil,DPhil Psychiatry, Remote Working

Work Projects

Albus Health aims to predict Asthma attacks using a device that patients can have at their home. I was involved in working on the signal analysis and machine learning algorithms to improve these predictions. My tasks included preparing and giving a presentation about the company to the team, searching the literature and summarising findings on topics relevant to my task, programming in MATLAB and Python, running experiments with algorithms and preparing extensive documentation of my work. Throughout the internship I had weekly video calls with my supervisor but he was also always available through chat on Microsoft Teams. I also had 2-3 calls with one of the cofounders to talk about progress of the internship and at the end of the internship I gave a presentation of my work.

Daily Life

Because of COVID-19, the internship was entirely remote. I didn't have strict core working hours and was instead allowed to work within my own schedule if I ensured that my tasks were accomplished. My working hours and daily routine therefore did not change much from how I work during my PhD.

When I started the internship, I gave a presentation about the company as if I was the CEO with the whole team present which was then followed by some socialising via video afterwards. Two other interns joined later, and I was also invited to their presentations. We also had another large group call at the end of my internship when I presented my work outcomes. My main interactions were with my daily supervisor, once a week.

Lasting Impressions

Overall, I'm very happy that I decided to do the internship and that I succeeded in securing a position at Albus Health. The whole team was very welcoming, and I enjoyed my tasks. I learned a lot about the field in just 10 weeks, and feel I've gained a better insight into industry jobs. I was considering going into industry before the internship and my experiences during the internship have convinced me that this is the right path for me.