Lecturer, Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, UK (2013-present) Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Molecular Biology, Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Germany (2007-2013) PhD Student, The Sainsbury Laboratory, Norwich, UK (2002-2006) BSc (Hons), The University of Queensland, Australia (1998-2001)

One aspect of my research focuses on plant development. I am particularly interested in the contribution of a group of carbohydrate (sugar)-binding proteins to plant development and its regulation by environmental signals. The malectin domain receptor-like kinases detect signals from outside the cell (either coming from other plant cells or from the surrounding environment) and help the cell and the plant develop appropriately according to the wider environment. Research in the lab also includes the developmental roles of another group of malectin domain proteins with a kinesin domain. Kinesins are motor proteins that can move around the cell using the cytoskeleton. They are particularly important in plant cell division where they can restructure the cytoskeleton and shift organelles. I remain interested in other areas of plant molecular biology such as natural variation and transposable elements; therefore, a third research area in the lab is examining the long-term effects of biotic stress on heritable variations.