Overview

I am an ecotoxicology PhD researcher in the Charles Tyler lab group. My background is in animal biology, and I spent some time as an intern with a marine conservation charity in south Wales. I then returned to Exeter to start an iCASE PhD investigating the effect of pharmaceuticals in the aquatic environment, in partnership with the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca.

Qualifications

PhD (University of Exeter, 2018-present)

BSc Biological sciences with Animal biology with Study abroad (University of Exeter, 2013-2017)

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Research

Research interests

• Ecotoxicology
• Transgenic zebrafish
• (Semi-) automated imaging platforms
• Pharmaceutical-induced oxidative stress

Research projects

Project Title: Advancing transgenic zebrafish bioassays for drug analysis using imaging

Supervisors: Professor Charles Tyler, Dr Malcolm Hetheridge, Dr Jonathan Ball, Dr Stewart Owen (Industry Partner)

Funding Body: BBSRC, AstraZeneca, University of Exeter

Project Description: I use novel transgenic zebrafish in combination with different imaging platforms to investigate mixture effects of pharmaceuticals in waterways. The primary model I work with is the oxidative stress model TG(EpRE:mCherry), which I use with a semi-automated plate reader, the Acquifer, for high-throughput screening. I also apply confocal microscopy for higher-content imaging to understand the nuances of drug-induced oxidative stress and how it affects target organs. I focus particularly on the interaction of drug-induced oxidative stress with oestrogenic compounds or temperature. I am also exploring the use of mass spectrometry imaging methods for visualising the distribution of a drug and its metabolites within the body of zebrafish embryos.

Research networks

Profession memberships:

• Society of Toxicology
• British Toxicology Society
• Royal Society of Biology

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