Cells are the unit of life.

From the highly elongated neurons to the resilient and all enwrapping epithelial cells my work unravels a cell's structural building blocks, their repair tools and anti-infective arsenal.

My research aims at understanding the fundamental mechanisms by which cells maintain their integrity, fight infection and regulate their interface with the outside world, the membrane.

To study these elements I use a tiny roundworm called C. elegans as a model system and use precision gene editing, molecular biology, state-of-the-art microscopy and classical genetics.

My research interests are in cell structure, intra-cellular pathways and in protein structure. During my honors I characterised two mouse models of Multiple Sclerosis, looking at T-cell permeability through the blood-brain barrier and the CXCR4/ CXCL12 chemokine axis. During my PhD I found critical roles for the tyrosine kinase receptor, Tyro3, in myelination and retinal ganglion cell function while assessing the neuronal functional outcomes of Tyro3 driven myelin structural deficits. Following my PhD, I moved to the university of Queensland to begin a post doctoral research fellowship under the supervision of Prof. Ben Hankamer, where I focussed on cryogenic electron microscopy and single particle analysis of the photosystem II supercomplex. During this time I also helped establish a virtual desktop which runs from the Bunya supercomputer, making research software accessible and easier to use across UQ.

As of 2024 I have begun as a post doctoral research fellow under the supervision of Dr. Rosemary Cater, I will be assessing the structure and function of membrane transporter proteins such as FLVCR2 and MFSD2A in the context of the blood-brain and blood-retinal barrier. Our goal is twofold: first, to comprehend the fundamental biology of these transporters; second, to discover a mechanism that enables drug access across the blood-brain and blood-retinal barriers. This advancement will facilitate therapeutic treatments for an array of central nervous system diseases.