Biography

I completed a BSc(Hons) in Biology with Chemistry at the University of Southampton before going on to complete a PhD with Prof Sir Howard Dalton FRS at the University of Warwick. This work focused on the biochemical and structural characterisation of bacterial protein complexes.

I then moved to the University of Cambridge to take up a Wellcome Trust postdoctoral position with Prof Ben Luisi where I worked on the structural and functional characterisation of proteins involved in RNA processing and degradation. During my time at Cambridge I was elected to Senior Membership of Wolfson College and taught biochemistry to medical and veterinary students at Queen’s College.

I subsequently joined Pfizer Global Research & Development as a Principal Scientist (Biophysics) within the Discovery Department’s Structural Biology Group. Contributing to multiple therapeutic areas, I led a focused team in conducting fundamental research in early stage drug discovery. This work gave me an invaluable insight into the applicability of academic research to pharmaceutical development.

I subsequently joined the University of Portsmouth, taking up a tenured Senior Fellowship before being promoted to Principal Fellow and Reader in Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics. Although I hold a research-focused role, I actively support the teaching within the Department as well as holding a number of additional Departmental, Faculty, University and external responsibilities.

For more information about my research please visit my lab page.

Research interests

I have an active research group focusing on the study of RNA biology, with interests in post-transcriptional gene regulation and developing tools for investigating RNA-based molecular interactions. Specific research interests include:

• Studying the interplay of non-coding RNAs, an RNA chaperone protein and ribonucleases in the control of gene expression; a novel mechanism linked to pathogenic bacterial virulence.
• Exploring a communicative link between the enzymatic machinery of RNA degradation and a key metabolite of central metabolism.
• Identifying chemical inhibitors of antibacterial targets and understanding their mechanism of action.
• Developing novel technologies for the study of RNA-interactions.