About
My research interests are in advancing our knowledge of animal and human parasitic diseases by understanding the complex molecular interaction between host and parasite that can be exploited for novel control strategies, vaccines and diagnostics. I use modern ‘omics’ technologies and bioinformatics alongside molecular biology, parasitology, and immunology tools to inform host-parasite interactions, parasite biology and biochemistry. Following my PhD in Molecular Biology studying Trichinella species serine proteases from the University of Aberdeen, my post-doctoral research carried out at the University of Liverpool, Queen's University Belfast and NUI Galway (Ireland) has focussed on two helminths, cyathostomin horse nematodes and the economically important pathogen of livestock (sheep and cattle) and people, the liver fluke, Fasciola hepatica. My current research focuses on interrogating the wide range of large sequencing datasets available for liver fluke to identify targets for the development of ‘omics’-inspired vaccines for F. hepatica that are being evaluated in large animal trials (sheep and cattle).