About
About me
I am a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Warwick based at the Zeeman Institute. I work in an interdisciplinary field applying mathematical and computational techniques to biology. I develop and use Bayesian inference in cell and developmental biology.
Previously for my PhD, I was based at the Wolfson Centre for Mathematical Biology in the Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford and also collaborated with the Davis Lab in the Department of Biochemistry.
Current Research Summary
Kinetochores are complex protein machines controlling microtubule attachment of the chromosomes within the mitotic spindle. I study how kinetochores ensure efficient capture, bi-orientation and congression of chromosomes during mitosis. To do this, I use mechanistic computational models calibrated to quantitative data from lattice light sheet microscopy via Bayesian inference. The models incorporate hidden states which can be related to distinct biological behaviours to provide insight into what determines the risk of chromosome mis-segregation.
Previous Research Summary
Developmental biology allows us to answer crucial questions about how patterned, polarized cells can organize robustly and repeatably to form living tissues and organisms. Quantitative imaging data is now available that can provide deep insights into developmental processes, but to make best use of these data, we need mathematical and computational models. Linking complex mechanistic models to quantitative experimental data is challenging, but Bayesian inference provides a principled framework for this. In my work, I address hypotheses about the robustness and points of control governing mRNA localization during development using a data-driven framework for inference and testable predictions, and also develop methodological tools to relate mechanistic models to data effectively.
Education
DPhil Systems Biology DTC, University of Oxford, 2014-19MMath Mathematics, University of Oxford, 2010-14, 1st class