Biography

My current research focuses on the role of microRNAs and associated pathways in skin disorders such as psoriasis, eczema, impaired wound healing and alopecia. I also have an interdisciplinary collaboration on the development of lipid and polymer nanocarriers for miRNA-directed therapy for inflammatory diseases. I joined LJMU as a lecturer in August 2008. Prior to that I completed postdoctoral research in the Dermatological Sciences laboratory at Newcastle University under the guidance of Professor Nick Reynolds. For my PhD at the University of Sheffield, I studied cytokine signalling proteins associated with inflammatory diseases, under the supervision of Dr François Guesdon and Professor Steve Dower.
A year was spent at GSK Stevenage under the supervision of Dr Filippo Volpe. Research in my laboratory is supported by the British Skin Foundation, the Cicatricial Alopecia Research Foundation, the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen Hospitals NHS Trust and the Ministry of Health, Oman. I have supervised 5 postdoctoral/visiting scientists and over 10 placement students on Nuffield, Erasmus, learned society or independent schemes. I am a member of the Biochemical Society, the British Society for Investigative Dermatology, the British Hair and Nail Society, the Physiological Society, the RNA Society and the European Tissue Repair Society.
I am also an affiliate member of the Royal Society of Chemistry. My teaching activities focus on signal transduction by receptor tyrosine kinases, G protein-coupled receptors and cytokine receptors. Key themes include MAP kinase cascades, PI3K signalling, store-operated calcium entry and NF-kB activation. I have supervised over 35 undergraduate project students.
A Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA), I was nominated for the Liverpool Students' Union Amazing Teacher Award in 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2016. Degrees 2013, Liverpool John Moores University, United Kingdom, Postgraduate Certificate for Learning and Teaching in Higher Education 2001, University of Sheffield, United Kingdom, PhD 1997, Brunel University, United Kingdom, BSc (Honours).