What is your role and what does your work focus on?

I am a research fellow in Clinical Pharmacology, Precision Medicine Group at Flinders University. My work focuses on using extracellular vesicles (biological nanoparticles naturally released by all cells in the body) as biomarkers of disease in minimally-invasive liquid biopsies.

Where did you work before joining CMPH?  

Before I joined Flinders, I worked in the School of Pharmacy at Trinity College Dublin (TCD) in Ireland.

What journey brought you to this point in your career?  

It was quite a journey. After finishing my degrees in Ireland, I was undecided on which direction to take. I was so ready to retire, my bank account suggested otherwise. The evening after defending my PhD (we are talking 4.5 hours of cross-examination), instead of celebrations, I applied for a post-doc role in EV biomarkers in paediatric cystic fibrosis. I was invited for an interview the following day and it all started there. I learned to love my work. Two post docs later, it was time to gain some international research experience. Australia ticked all the boxes and I am still happily working at Flinders almost three years later, investigating the least-invasive ways to detect and track disease, with minimal burden to the patient.

What is something you love most about your work?  

I love that it’s always challenging, no day is the same and it is impossible to fall into a boring routine.

If you could tell your younger self one thing, what would it be? 

That it’s OK for girls to study science, even though every career councillor might try to direct you to the humanities or arts route.

If you had a super power what would it be?

Definitely time travel. Possibilities for that are endless.

How do you like to relax or spend your spare time? 

I love to travel, especially in Australia. It has so much to offer.