Professional activities
|| Academic in Residence, National Measurement Lab
The National Measurement Laboratory (NML) is the UK’s designated institute for chemical and biological measurement, standardising physical, chemical, and biological measurements. Appointed as Academic in Residence in 2023, I link immunology with metrology for complex medicines, co-developing traceable methods for CQAs, IIMIs, and innate immune assays, supporting the development of complex medicines such as LNPs, biologics, and LAIs. As part of my role, I connect NML with CELT, IDDC, iiCON, and BRITE, deliver training, and supervise joint PhD work to turn measurement data into guidance that reduces translational risk and improves manufacturing.
|| Director, Nanotherapeutics hub
At the Liverpool Nanotherapeutics Hub, we partner with SMEs and pharma to move complex medicines from concept to clinic. We co-design development plans, define CQAs, and run assays for a variety of complex medicines and biotherapeutics. Using GLP-aligned SOPs and reports for MHRA and EMA, we support go or no-go, dose selection, and CTA/IND briefing packages to reduce time to first-in-human.
The working group supports the development of nano-enabled products and applications in medicine across the development pipeline. By addressing safety issues from the earliest stages, the working group promotes the successful translation of nanomedicine from development to implementation. As Chair, I advise on strategy for nanomedicine quality, safety, and translation, convening academia, SMEs, pharma, and regulators to align assays, metrology, and reference materials for complex medicines. Specifically, I lead work on immunocompatibility and innate responses, connecting ETPN with EU programmes and standards bodies to accelerate adoption, reduce development risk, and deliver training and roadmaps for clinical and industrial uptake.
|| Trustee of the British Society for Nanomedicine
The British Society for Nanomedicine was established at the University of Liverpool to provide industry, academia, clinicians, and the public with open access to news and details of ongoing research throughout the UK.
|| Vice Chair of the British Toxicology Society Scientific subcommittee, and member of the Executive Committee
Key objectives of the BTS include organising scientific meetings and conferences, promoting interactions and collaborative sessions with other societies, and encouraging scientific discussions among its members. The Scientific Subcommittee (SSC) is responsible for planning and organising the BTS scientific meeting programmes, inviting contributors and presenters, and fostering collaborations with the broader toxicology community.
|| The Pandemic Institute Internal Scientific Advisory Panel (ISAP)
I offer strategic guidance to advance the Institute’s research initiatives, leveraging my expertise in complex medicines, immunology, and advanced therapeutics to drive the development of new and repurposed therapies.
Within the Centre of Excellence for Long-acting Therapeutics, we oversee the safety and compatibility assessment of novel technologies for long-acting therapy (LAT) applications. I lead immunocompatibility and safety within CELT, overseeing evaluations that focus on CQAs, IIMIs, and translational assays. I coordinate with academia, NHS, and industry to de-risk candidates, align metrology, and build regulatory-ready packages through out harmonised assay capabilities linking CELT with Catapult centres, IDDC, BRITE, and iiCON, and turn mechanistic immunology into guidance that speeds clinical adoption and manufacturing.
Internal Roles:
- Horizon Europe Steering Group
- ISMIB Industry Focus Group
- Therapeutics Innovation Frontier Advisory Group
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Previous roles/appointments:
|| Board member of the Liverpool City Region Health and Life Sciences Board ||
The LCR LEP has created several sub-boards and advisory groups to provide access to extensive knowledge and expertise across the City Region. The sub-boards focus on sectors of the economy that have been identified as having growth potential, as well as Innovation and Enterprise. These groups, comprising leaders from the business and public sectors, offer strategic insight, intelligence, and guidance to the LEP Board and the LEP Executive in fulfilling their strategic activities for the City Region. Their importance and strength are in their detailed technical and specialist expertise, based on practical business experience, which provides information and intelligence to inform economic strategy and effective delivery. I was a member of the R&D, biopharmaceuticals, and skills sub-groups.
|| - Knowledge Exchange Steering Group (KESG), Knowledge Exchange Lead for Personalised Health
The KESG brings together KE leaders in university research themes (Advanced Materials, Climate Futures, Digital, Heritage, Infectious Disease, Personalised Health, Starting Well, Living Well, and Ageing Well) and KE centres (like the MIF, DIF, CEIDR and Heseltine) to support and oversee the university’s ambition, activity, and funds in knowledge exchange. The KESG oversees KE plans in each of the university’s research theme areas, identifies synergies between different areas of activity, and provides a forum for discussion of large-scale KE opportunities and partnerships. The KESG has members of all three faculties and will also oversee and allocate our pump priming funds (such as the Partnership, Recovery and Resilience fund) and funds for developing KE strands of our research themes and the associated partnerships (resourced from HEIF). The KESG will also influence, where possible, the development of international, national and local R&D and innovation strategy
Selected Professional Activities
Conference Role
- Biosafety and Nanotoxicology at Nanomed Europe 2023 (NME23), Keynote/Plenary by Invitation (University of Liverpool, 2023) (Conference Role)
- Measuring & Modulating Immunogenicity of LNP-Payload Composition at Understanding Immune Responses Linked to Physio-Chemical Characteristics of Non-Viral Delivery Systems, by Invitation (Boston, MA, USA, 2022) (Conference Role)
Editorship
- Toxicology (Invited Co-editor, 2024 - present) (Editorship)
External Administrative or Committee Role
- Chair, Working Group on Nanomedicine Safety and Characterisation, Invited (European Technoloy Platform for Nanomedicine, 2023 - present) (External Administrative or Committee Role)
- Academic in Residence, Invited (National Measurement lab, 2023 - present) (External Administrative or Committee Role)
- Co-leader, Nanomedicines Focus Group (2022 - present) (External Administrative or Committee Role)
Professional Body Membership
- Royal Society of Biology (Fellow, 2022 - present) (Professional Body Membership)
- British Toxicological Society (Member, 2019 - present) (Professional Body Membership)
- British Pharmacological Society (Member, 2019 - present) (Professional Body Membership)
- British Society for Immunology (Affiliate, 2004 - present) (Professional Body Membership)
Conference Roles
- Safety assessment of cellular and advanced therapies at Deciphering immune responses to complex medicines using advanced in vitro models, by Invitation (2025)
- Biosafety and Nanotoxicology at Nanomed Europe 2023 (NME23), Keynote/Plenary by Invitation (University of Liverpool, 2023)
- Benefits of integrating sex-gender analysis into research in emerging fields at Gendered interactions between diversity and quality in research. Science knowledge for equitable and just future, Keynote/Plenary by Invitation (Salzburg, 2022)
- Measuring & Modulating Immunogenicity of LNP-Payload Composition at Understanding Immune Responses Linked to Physio-Chemical Characteristics of Non-Viral Delivery Systems, by Invitation (Boston, MA, USA, 2022)
- Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMP) at Interactions between the immune system and Nano(bio)materials - linking PCC to Biological effects, by Invitation (Belfast, 2022)
- “Application of Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery", by Invitation (University of Surrey, 2014)
- “Use of in vitro testing for assessing the immunogenicity of nanomaterials”, by Invitation (University of Keele, 2014)
- “New Approaches to antiretroviral drug delivery”, by Invitation (CROI Foundation, 2013)
- “Application of flow cytometry to nanoparticle characteristics and protein binding", by Invitation (London Research Institute, Cancer Research UK , 2013)
- CLINAM, by Invitation (2018 - 2019)
- Nanomed 2018 (26-28th June 2018), Manchester, by Invitation (2017 - 2018)
- EuPAT 9 The Ninth pan-European Conference on PAT and QbD Sciences (15-16th may 2018), Manchester, by Invitation (2017 - 2018)
- 7th APS International PharmSci Conference (University of Strathclyde, UK, 5th-7th September 2016), by Invitation (2016 - 2017)
- by Invitation (2016 - 2017)
- ATREUM Conference, by Invitation (2016 - 2017)
- CYTO 2017 (Hynes Convention Centre, Boston, MA, USA, 10th-14th June 2017), by Invitation (2016 - 2017)
- Keele Nanopharmaceutics Symposium (Keele University, Keele, UK 21-22 September 2015) , by Invitation (2015 - 2016)
- Nanoparticles for cell tracking workshop (Liverpool, UK 21-22 September 2015) , by Invitation (2015 - 2016)
- British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy Antibiotic Resistance and Mechanisms Workshop, by Invitation (2015 - 2016)
- 1st Joint Nanomedicine Society meeting (Grenoble, France, 7-9th December 2015) , by Invitation (2015 - 2016)
- 7th APS International PharmSci Conference (University of Strathclyde, UK, 5th-7th September 2016), by Invitation (2015 - 2016)
- 2nd UKRMP meeting on Nanoparticles for Stem Cell Tracking (Liverpool, UK, 21-22nd September 2015) , by Invitation (2015 - 2016)
- Preclinical modelling workshop (University of Keele, February 27-28th 2014), by Invitation (2014 - 2015)
- Research Seminar Series (University of Northumbria, 27th February 2015) , by Invitation (2014 - 2015)
- Modular Training Programme In Applied Toxicology (University of Surrey, June 9-13th), by Invitation (2014 - 2015)
- 20th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic infections (Atlanta, Georgia, USA, March 2013) , by Invitation (2012 - 2013)
- Cancer Research UK (London Research Institute, Cancer Research UK (London, UK), by Invitation (2012 - 2013)
Editorships
- Toxicology (Invited Co-editor, 2024 - present)
- Nature Nanotechnology (Invited Peer reviewer)
- Nature Biomedical Engineering (Peer reviewer, 2017 - present)
- Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology and Medicine (Peer reviewer, 2012 - present)
- The Lancet Eclinicalmedicine (Invited Reviewer)
- EMBO Molecular Medicine (Invited Reviewer)
- British Journal of Pharmacology (Peer Reviewer, 2014 - present)
- Journal of Interdisciplinary Nanomedicine (JOIN) (Senior Editor, 2018 - present)
- British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology (Peer reviewer, 2011 - present)
- Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (Peer reviewer, 2009 - present)
- Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (Peer reviewer, 2008 - present)
Event Roles
- NanoMed Europe 2023, Keynote/Plenary (Talk/Lecture, 2023)
Examination Roles
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel, PhD (2024)
- University of Liverpool, Molecular and Clinical Cancer Medicine (PhD, 2024)
- University of Liverpool, Pharmacology and Therapeutics (PhD, 2024 - present)
- Swansea University, Microneedle development for therapeutic delivery (PhD, 2021)
- University of Liverpool, PhD viva of Arun Tailor (2018)
- University of Liverpool, PhD viva of Louise Tidbury; internal examiner (2017)
- University of Liverpool, PhD viva of Rajith Kumar Reddy; internal examiner (2017)
External Administrative or Committee Roles
- Chair, Working Group on Nanomedicine Safety and Characterisation, Invited (European Technoloy Platform for Nanomedicine, 2023 - present)
- Academic in Residence, Invited (National Measurement lab, 2023 - present)
- Co-leader, Nanomedicines Focus Group (2022 - present)
- Member of the Liverpool LEP Health & Life Sciences Board, Invited (Liverpool City Council, 2022 - present)
Grant Application Assessments
- External Post-submission (Canada Foundation for Innovation, 2023)
- External Post-submission (Medical Research Council (MRC))
- External Post-submission (Medical Research Council (MRC), 2022 - present)
- External Post-submission (British Heart Foundation, 2022 - present)
- External Post-submission (Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), 2014 - present)
- External Post-submission (European Commission, 2020 - present)
- External Pre-submission (National Science Center, 2021)
- External Post-submission (Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland, 2015 - present)
- Internal Pre-submission (2021)
Internal Administrative or Committee Roles
- Knowledge Exchange (KE) lead for Personalised Health (Faculty, 2021 - present)
- Vice Chair Research Ethics Committee (ISMIB) (School / Institute, 2020 - present)
- Nanomedicine Strand Convenor (MRes Biomedical Sciences and Translational Medicine) (University, 2018 - 2025)
- Research Ethics Committee reviewer (University, 2017 - 2018)
Organisations I have been associated with
- Nattional Measurement Laboratory (2019 - present)
- Infection Innovation Consortium (iiCON) - Platform Manager (Nanotherapeutics) (2021 - present)
- Centre of Excellent in Long-Acting Therapeutics (CELT) (2021 - present)
- Liverpool Nanotherapeutics Hub (NTH) (2019 - present)
- European Nanomedicine Characterisation Laboratory (2014 - present)
- NIHR National Biomedical Research Centre (2008 - 2010)
Professional Body Memberships
- Royal Society of Biology (Fellow, 2022 - present)
- British Toxicological Society (Member, 2019 - present)
- British Pharmacological Society (Member, 2019 - present)
- British Society of Nanomedicine (Executive Committee Member, 2011 - present)
- British Society for Immunology (Affiliate, 2004 - present)