Biography
I have recently graduated from Queen’s University Belfast with an Msci degree in Biochemistry with Professional Studies.
My masters project was supervised by Prof John Dalton and focused on the antioxidants of the trematode parasite Fasciola hepatica and their role in host immunomodulation.
I completed a 1 year industrial work placement at Randox Laboratories in Northern Ireland, developing diagnostic chemiluminescent immunoassays for use on automatic/semi-automatic analysers.
I am currently undertaking a targeted BBSRC PhD in the Department of Veterinary Medicine, completing my first project under the supervision of Dr Lucy Weinert and Prof Clare Bryant, investigating how vertebrate scavenger species have evolved to control their innate immune response by preferential loss of key immune components.
I will then complete my core PhD project under the supervision of Dr Cinzia Cantacessi. This project will aim to elucidate the interplay between gastrointestinal nematodes, the host immune system and the gut flora.
Research
I am interested in the mechanisms by which worm parasites can alter the immune response from the infected host, the immunomodulatory products that it produces and secretes. And recently, the interaction between the microbial flora of the host and the parasite, and the consequences this may have for parasite survival.
