Following 10 years in toxin research, I was appointed to my first teaching post at Sheffield Hallam University nearly twenty years ago and am currently a senior lecturer within the School of Biosciences and Chemistry. I teach physiology and neurobiology across a range of degree courses within the Department of Biosciences and Chemistry.

I am also the deputy course leader for the undergraduate BSc (Honours) Biomedical Science degree and the course leader for the undergraduate BSc (Honours) Biosciences degree. My research focusses on scorpion venom, antivenom, and pharmacological components of the venoms.

After my undergraduate degree in Biology with Biochemistry at the University of Wales, Bangor, I spent several years at the Centre for Applied Microbiology and Research (an NHS special health authority). The centre was the major microbiological public health research centre in the UK, carrying out research on pathogenesis, vaccines and therapeutics for numerous infectious diseases, and a really exciting place for a young scientist to work. My work was primarily based on medical applications of Clostridium botulinum neurotoxin (botox), and also on replacements to animal testing.

A desire to further pursue my interest in the therapeutic potential of naturally occurring toxins and venoms led me to complete a PhD in that area here at Sheffield Hallam University. I love to travel, so an 18-month placement in the Department of Biochemistry at the National University of Singapore was an additional bonus. I then spent time as a postdoctoral research assistant at the University of Sheffield, before returning to Sheffield Hallam University in a teaching role.

I’ve been teaching at Hallam, primarily in anatomy, physiology and neurobiology for nearly 20 years now and have had many roles over that time. I am currently the module leader for the first-year module, Fundamentals of Biomedical Science and have recently returned to my former role as deputy course leader for the undergraduate Biomedical Science degree. I am also the course leader for BSc Biosciences (Honours) degree, which some students transfer to later in their studies.