School of Life Sciences

I was appointed at Keele as a Lecturer in the School of Life Sciences in August 2009. Prior to this, I obtained a first class BSc (Hons) in Biochemistry in 1995 and a PhD in cellular pharmacology in 1998, both from Keele. I subsequently was employed as a post-doctoral research fellow in the Apoptosis Research Group led by Prof Gwyn Williams, where my work involved identifying and studying novel molecules which control apoptosis, in order to define new drug targets for the therapy of cancer and other human diseases where apoptosis control is dysfunctional. The work has resulted in excess of twenty publications in largely high impact journals.
Since starting my lecturer post, I became interested in educational research and in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. This culminated in the completion of a Master’s Degree in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (MATLHE) at Keele in 2011. 

ISTM Research theme: 1. Clinical & Diagnostic Science

My research interests are in molecular cell biology and cell signalling i.e. investigating the way that mammalian cells function and communicate. I have been working on apoptosis, the genetically programmed cell death, for the last 12 years, where the focus of the research group was to identify novel genes involved in apoptosis using functional expression cloning. This work has led to the identification of several apoptosis controlling genes. My research concentrates on the elucidation of the signalling pathways initiated by these genes and how they eventually cause the destruction of the cell. In addition, my research involves the investigation of the role of non-coding-protein RNAs (ncRNAs) in the apoptosis of human cells and in cancer and identification of novel ncRNAs involved in the regulation of apoptosis and cancer.

• Year 1

• LSC-10031 Cell and Molecular Biology

• LSC-10040: Introduction to Human Physiology

• LSC-10039: Human Physiology and Pathology

• LSC-10036: Cells and organelles

• Year 2

• LSC-20052 Nutrition and Energy Balance (Module Manager)

• LSC-20003: Gene and Protein Engineering

• LSC-20005: Endocrinology and Signalling

• Year 3

• LSC-30015: Biology of Disease

• LSC-30004: Research project (Experimental)

• LSC-30007: Research project (Dissertation)

• LSC 30028: Advances in Medicine

• LSC-30030: Human Evolution

• Year 4/ MSc Biomedical Blood Science

• LSC-40033 Advanced Laboratory Techniques (Module Manager)