About

Biography

I am a scientist interested in how genome-editing technologies can help us understand the first stages of human development; and how society should make decisions about their use.

I first became fascinated with cell and gene therapy in high school. I remember seeing the textbook lay out the scope of human disease that could be treated with these technologies: from macular degeneration, to neurodegeneration, cancers and heart disease. This interest inspired me to study biology at university.

I studied my B.Sc. at the University of Sheffield. My final year dissertation focussed on evaluating genetic approaches like CRISPR/Cas9 to treat Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a severe muscle degenerative disease. This project gave me first hand experience of the power and potential of CRISPR/Cas9 to treat genetic disease.

After finishing my undergraduate studies, I worked as a research assistant at the Centre for Stem Cell Biology at the University of Sheffield, one of the first pioneer human embryonic stem cell labs in the UK. This was my first experience at using human embryonic stem cells, and ignited my interest in using cellular approaches to understand and treat disease.

My fascination with CRISPR/Cas9 and cellular differentiation led me to study my Ph.D. at the Francis Crick Institute and University of Cambridge. My project focussed on using genetic approaches to understand human embryonic development.

I am now continuing my scientific journey in San Francisco.

**Clockwise from top left**: Cut + Paste pop-up talk at the Francis Crick Institute; Meeting Daniel Zeichner MP at the UK Parliament; Discussing genome editing as an expert speaker at the UK Citizen’s Jury on Genome Editing

StemForBritainImage — **Clockwise from top left**: Cut + Paste pop-up talk at the Francis Crick Institute; Meeting Daniel Zeichner MP at the UK Parliament; Discussing genome editing as an expert speaker at the UK Citizen’s Jury on Genome Editing

Science Communication

The intersection of human embryology and genome editing holds incredible hope for millions of people worldwide. The process of how these breakthroughs will benefit people, who will be affected, and the potential risks are still being debated.

My Ph.D. research was funded by a number of public funding bodies, including the UK Medical Research Council, Cancer Research UK, and the Wellcome Trust. I believe that the knowledge from this research, and decisions about how it is implemented, belongs to the public and wider society. Therefore, I am a passionate science communicator to members of the public and policy makers to ensure these groups make informed decisions about this research going forward.

UK STEM For Britain Parliament showcase, event where UK scientists meet with Members of Parliament to discuss their research
Cut + Paste exhibit at the Francis Crick Institute, a major genome editing exhibit in London
UK Citizen’s Jury on Genome Editing, a significant deliberative project to assess the opinions and societal impact of genome editing research