You can see my curriculum vitae in Linked in or ORCID ID

Research Motivation

I wanted to update my personal page and as this is my personal research website I wanted to tell people what makes me excited about science. I also didn’t want to do this by using the typical type of polish text that you see on Institutional websites as I feel the motivation behind someone’s research is always deeply personal so here is my motivation expressed in my own words:

Metallobiology

From my PhD onwards I have been fascinated with how biological systems acquire essential metal ions (especially Zn, Cu and Mn….) which are used for nearly every biochemical process in the cell but avoid the potentially toxic non-specific side-reactions that they can catalyse with most of the cellular constituents. Equally as interesting are the genetic defects that effect the delicate balance of these micro-nutrient and result in pathological condition – that diseases to you an me. Furthermore, toxic metal hijack these systems to gain entry into biological system disrupting normal metal ion homoeostasis together with stimulating a mirriad of additional toxic responses. This essential dichotomy of needing something that will hurt you if it is not handled correctly is a balancing act that all biological systems are challenged with and its that fascinates me.