About
In August 2024, I set up my independent lab at the University of Liverpool as a Tenure-Track Fellow investigating the role of the endosomal system in health and neurodegenerative disease.
Throughout my career, my aspiration has been to understand the biological pathways affected in neurodegenerative conditions. I have developed a wide breadth of expertise across a range of disciplines including biochemistry, neuroscience, and pharmacology, and developed an array of methodologies to understand the molecular mechanisms driving these conditions. During my undergraduate degree, I saw the need for better animal models that more accurately reflected Parkinson’s pathology which motivated my PhD studying the role of microRNAs in the regulation of alpha-synuclein in Professor Maeve Caldwell's lab (University of Bristol). For my postdoctoral work, I wanted to further understand the subcellular processes underlying neurodegeneration and so moved my research into protein biochemistry in Professor Peter Cullen’s lab (University of Bristol). Here, I was instrumental in driving forward a new avenue of exploration into the role of the endosomal system in neurodegenerative disorders, developing key methodologies, including quantitative proteomics, in primary neuronal and glial cultures, and establishing key collaborations across multiple fields, including structural biology and electrophysiology. Through my work, I have identified the mis-trafficking of integral proteins, due to endosomal dysfunction, as a key mechanism driving neurodegeneration. I have been recognised in the neurodegenerative and membrane trafficking fields through invitations to present my research at several conferences, chair live discussions and review papers.