With a background both in science and finance, I joined UCL in 2012 to contribute to the building of the evidENT team and set up a research portfolio to test and evaluate new and current treatments in ENT, Hearing and Balance.
I am currently a co-investigator on three clinical research projects spanning the translational pathway; the REGAIN early phase trials of a Notch inhibitor aimed at restoring hearing in adults with sensorineural hearing loss (EU Horizon 2020 €5.8m), the MACRO programme to define best management of chronic rhinosinusitis (NIHR Programme Grant for Applied Research £3.2m) and the VOCALIST feasibility study to investigate surgical treatments to improve the voice of adults with Unilateral Vocal Fold Paralysis (NIHR Research for Patient Benefit £270k). I also have an interest in paediatric sleep disordered breathing and lecture in Patient in Public Involvement in research.
Prior to UCL, I completed a first class honours degree in Biochemistry at the University of Southampton in 2003 and a PhD in Cell Biology at Queen Mary University of London in 2009. During this PhD my dermatology-based research focused on the behaviour of epidermal stem cells in response to apoptotic stimuli. Following my PhD I continued to work at QMUL to enhance the culturing of skin keratinocytes for use in skin grafting. My further post-doctoral work has widened into the field of veterinary medicine, where I investigated the molecular basis of an inflammatory equine disease within the clinical research department at the Royal Veterinary College.
