28/05/2026
Meet Erna, a first-year PhD student from Indonesia, a beautiful country in Southeast Asia.
🔬 Erna’s research explores how microbiology is taught to future biology teachers in Indonesia. She is particularly interested in how teachers design lessons, how students experience learning, and how cultural and contextual factors shape what happens in the classroom.
🌏 Through her research, Erna hopes to make microbiology more meaningful – not just as scientific knowledge, but as something that connects to real-world issues such as health, the environment, and sustainability. In the future, she hopes to contribute to organisations such as CSIRO and the International Microbiology Literacy Initiative.
🏫 Erna is currently a lecturer at UIN Walisongo (Islamic State University of Walisongo) in Semarang, Indonesia, and is taking study leave to pursue her PhD at Monash University. She previously served as a staff member at the Research and Community Service Centre. She is also an affiliate of the Monash Sustainable Development Institute and a member of the Education, Environment, and Sustainability Research Group.
🏸 Outside of research, Erna loves nature and enjoys travelling whenever she can. In her spare time, she likes playing badminton and watching movies, especially science fiction and Harry Potter. She’s a big fan!
✨ We wish Erna the very best in her PhD journey!
