Biography
I received my undergraduate degree in Plant Biotechnology from the University of Nottingham with an intercalated year at Syngenta and the John Innes Centre, Norwich. Subsequently, I was awarded a PhD studentship from the Home Grown Cereal Association and The University of Nottingham to study the mechanisms that impact folate (vitamin B9) content and quality in plants. My PhD research resulted in four publications and my PhD thesis was awarded the University of Nottingham Award for the best PhD thesis in Plant Sciences.
I continued my research interest in plant metabolism and characterisation of mechanisms involved in subcellular compartmentation of metabolic reactions at Michigan State University. This work has resulted in adoption of a novel approach for engineer of pathways that produce many health promoting compounds, including vitamin E and A.
Research
My research interests have always been rooted in understanding factors that impact the nutritional quality of our food, and application of biotech methods to improve the availability of health-promoting metabolites in plants and algae.
Since joining the group of Prof. Alison Smith at the University of Cambridge in June 2015, I have continued my research interests with emphasis on metabolic engineering of microalgae for production of vitamins and pharmaceuticals.
I am currently a Senior Research Associate and Manager of Algal Innovation Centre (AIC) at University of Cambridge.
