I read for a DPhil on the mechanisms of RNA interference at Brasenose College, Oxford. I subsequently joined the Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute, within the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neuroscience, as a Roche Post-Doctoral Fellow to work on the circadian clock. I have stayed in the unit, and am now a Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) David Phillips Fellow and group leader. My group researches the molecular mechanisms that regulate circadian clock entrainment.
All organisms show 24-hour rhythms in their physiology and behaviour, orchestrated by a circadian clock that coordinates internal time with the external world. Our research aims to understand the molecular mechanisms by which the circadian clock picks up cues from the external environment and is set to the right time.
I was awarded the L’Oreal Women in Science Fellowship in 2015 and I am the founder of a spin-out company, Circadian Therapeutics, that translates some of our research into the clinical arena. I am also a mother of two and am a passionate advocate for women in STEM careers.