University of Waikato graduate Dr Christopher Mayo is heading to the University of Cambridge, where he will use artificial intelligence to uncover hidden patterns in routine blood tests that could help identify disease earlier.
Dr Mayo leaves New Zealand this month to begin a three-to-four-year PhD in Cambridge’s Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, supported by a prestigious Woolf Fisher Scholarship.
His proposed research will examine data from full blood counts, one of the most common laboratory tests ordered by doctors. Cambridge researchers have access to a large collection of blood-test data from several hospitals, allowing them to look for patterns that may not otherwise be apparent.
Dr Christopher Mayo
“There may be hidden patterns in the data that we can use AI to investigate and potentially diagnose diseases earlier,” Dr Mayo says.
“This approach has already shown promise in identifying conditions such as iron-deficiency anaemia earlier than standard diagnostic pathways might. Blood cancers are also among the conditions that could potentially be explored.”
The scholarship will also take Dr Mayo to the United Kingdom for the first time.
At Cambridge, he will join the department where renowned theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking worked for many years.
“It is a hugely historic place, and I am excited to learn in that environment,” Dr Mayo says.
Dr Mayo grew up in Hamilton and began medical school at the University of Auckland in 2017, graduating as a doctor in 2022. During his medical training, he developed skills in computer science, data science and mathematics through research projects, including biostatistics work with Professor Ross Lawrenson’s team at the University of Waikato.
He also completed first-year computer science papers and three summer research studentships at Waikato before returning to undertake a Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence. He completed the degree in June and will graduate in December.
Dr Mayo says his experience across medicine and AI gives him a valuable perspective to take to Cambridge’s highly technical department.
“Having a formal clinical background as well as experience in AI means I can help ask the right questions and interpret data in a way that makes sense in a medical setting,” he says.
Dr Christopher Mayo is heading to the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics
“People working on either side do not always have the background to bring those areas together. I hope my interdisciplinary experience will allow me to make a meaningful contribution.”
Dr Mayo credits his longstanding connection with Waikato with helping shape his path into medical AI. His father, Dr Michael Mayo, was a computer scientist at the University.
“I am very thankful for the opportunities the University of Waikato has given me and for the support of the Woolf Fisher Scholarship,” Dr Mayo says.
While his plans beyond the PhD remain open, Dr Mayo hopes to work at the forefront of machine learning and medical research, developing technology that could support earlier diagnosis and better patient care.
The Woolf Fisher Scholarships were established in 2003 by the Trustees of the Woolf Fisher Trust to honour Woolf Fisher and is for commitment to advance scientific and general education.
It is awarded annually to outstanding New Zealand graduate students for doctoral study at Cambridge University. Woolf Fisher Scholars will have shown outstanding academic ability and will possess many of the qualities admired by Woolf Fisher: integrity, leadership, boldness of vision and exceptional zeal, keenness and capacity for work.
