About
I am a senior non-clinical research fellow funded by Kidney Research UK (KRUK) and a Tenure Track Fellow within Biochemistry, Cell and Systems Biology focussing upon the role of glycosylation in kidney disease.
I began my scientific career at the University of Surrey where I studied for a BSc in Biochemistry (Toxicology) where I undertook a placement year with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). While at GSK I was introduced to analytical chemistry, in particular liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry for the characterisation of pharmaceuticals and their metabolites. This led me to pursue a PhD in analytical chemistry at the University of Sussex with Professor Liz Hill and Dr Alaa Abdul Sada where I developed nanoLC-nanoESI-ToF-MS methods for improved sensitivity in urinary metabolomics. During this time I also developed methods to normalise urinary metabolomics data to reflect the large variation in urine concentrations and applied the methods I developed to investigate renal toxicity associated with HIV combined antiretroviral therapy. Subsequently I completed a short post-doctoral position at Sussex in the same lab I modified these methods for work on faecal samples to investigate colorectal cancer and precancerous polyps.
I then moved to the University of Birmingham to post-doc in a high throughput clinical and environmental metabolomics facility, where I learnt to use orbitrap mass spectrometers and high throughput sample preparation and analysis methods. During this time I got my first taste of capillary electrophoresis (CE) as an alternative orthoganal separation technique for high polar and charged metabolites. This new interest in CE led me to change fields after 18 months and take up and industry based post-doc in materials chemistry. This was a 2 year Horizon 2020 position on the Analytical and Characterisation Excellence in nanomaterial risk assessment: A tiered approach (ACEnano) project with AB-Sciex. Here I developed capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry methods to characterise proteins and metabolites adsorbed to the surface of nanomaterials that take part in bio-nano interactions. I then returned to the University of Birmingham to continue the ACEnano project working characterising nanoparticles using ICP-MS and single particle ICP-MS in addition to microplastics using thermogravimetric analysis- Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy -gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (TGA-FTIR-GC-MS).
In 2021 I moved to the University of Liverpool to work with Dr Louise Oni at The Institute in the Park based at the Alder Hey Children’s Hospital and Professor Claire Eyers at the Centre for Proteome Research on a Kidney Research UK grant investigating glycosylation of IgA in childhood IgA vasculitis and associated nephropathy.
In 2023, I became a Tenure Track Fellow and won a 5 year Senior non-clinical Fellowship from KRUK to investigate the role of O and N-linked glycans in kidney disease.
Funded Fellowships
- Glycan profiling of immunoglobulin-complement immune complexes in IgA mediated glomerulonephritis: The GlyCAN study (Kidney Research UK, 2023 - present)