I am a PhD student on the Wellcome Trust-funded EDESIA Plants, Food, and Health PhD programme, an interdisciplinary initiative that advances key aspects of plant-based nutrition and health, from crop to clinic. With an interest in plant-based nutrition, the gut microbiome, and the gut-brain connection, my PhD project investigates the how emerging prebiotics in pea affect gut and brain health.

Before joining the Quadram Institute, I completed my undergraduate studies in Medical Sciences at the University of Leeds and spent my final year studying biomedicine at the University of Valencia, Spain. After completing my BSc, I took a role as a Research Technician at the Alzheimer’s Research UK Drug Discovery Institute (ARUK DDI) at UCL. The ARUK DDI is a multidisciplinary academic group that focuses on establishing glia as therapeutic targets for treating neurodegenerative diseases. Within the screening and pharmacology team, my role involved developing, optimising, and running robust cell-based assays for high-throughput screening.

In 2024, I joined the EDESIA PhD programme, and my first year involved three 10-week projects across the Norwich Research Park, supervised by various academics, including Professor Jonathan Todd, Dr David Vauzour, and Professor Nathalie Juge. Inspired by different aspects of these projects, along with my prior experience at the ARUK DDI, I initiated a collaborative PhD project between the Juge and Vauzour groups. I am investigating how bioactive compounds present in peas influence the gut microbiome, gut barrier function, inflammation, and subsequently brain health via the gut-brain axis.