I am currently a Newcastle University Academic Track (NUAcT) Fellow and hold a NERC Knowledge Exchange Fellowship. My research focuses on developing mathematical models of biological and ecological systems, informed by statistical analysis and inference of real data. I currently co-supervise five PhD students across these areas. Priority research projects include using mathematical modelling to predict the spread of the invasive oak processionary moth in the UK and developing diagnostic image analysis tools for assessing corneal health.
I am keen to support women in STEM through mentoring, outreach and EDI events, and social sciences research. My research in this area focuses on using qualitative techniques to deepen our understanding of the lived experiences of women and gender minorities in mathematics academia. I support student summer projects in this area. Further details can be found here.
I take an active interest in Widening Participation, fair access and mathematics outreach, teaching at Newcastle University’s Partners Summer School, speaking at the annual WISDOM (women in science) event and working as a STEM Ambassador.
I previously worked as a Research Associate exploring models for the spread of tree diseases through UK woodland, a huge ecological problem with great economic and environmental impact. I developed temporal and spatial computational models and used novel inference schemes applied to current and past tree epidemic data.
During my PhD I worked with both mathematicians and biologists with the aim of using maths to deepen our understanding of stem cell behaviours and to optimise current experiments. My PhD was inherently interdisciplinary and gave me the opportunity to present to a variety of audiences – from the STEM for Britain awards in the Houses of Parliament, to the Smith Institute’s industry focussed Take Aim competition.