Biography:
I studied BSc Biochemistry at the University of Surrey, graduating in 2017. I went on to do an MSc Immunology and Immunotherapy at the University of Birmingham, graduating in 2019. This included a 3-month research project investigating intestinal immunity in mouse models of colorectal cancer. After graduating. I joined Kai-Michael Toellner's group at the Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Birmingham, as a laboratory technician; I studied the effects of circadian rhythms on the antibody production. I joined James Thaventhiran's group at the MRC Toxicology Unit, University of Cambridge, in 2021 to study the immune response to COVID vaccination in the immunocompromised. I started my PhD in Kiran Patil's group at the MRC Toxicology Unit in 2021. I am studying the interplay of gut microbiome with the immune system, aiming to elucidate novel interactions and microbial community dynamics that maintain gut homeostasis, and that are perturbed during gut dysbiosis.
Research Interests:
The gut microbiota is an immensely complex community of commensal microorganisms that have colonized and stabilized into distinct niches along mucosal surfaces within their host. The mammalian gastrointestinal tract is estimated to be comprised of nearly 10 trillion bacteria. which perform a diverse range of metabolic processes that are essential for the host development and health, including the regulation of the immune system. Here, the immune system must control a critical balance that ensures potential pathogens are eliminated, whilst also maintaining self-tolerance to healthy tissue thus preventing autoimmunity.
My research focuses on understanding how the immune system and the gut microbiota interact, specifically in the context of gut dysbiosis or impairments of immunity.
