Fiona graduated in Bacteriology and Virology at Manchester University (1977) where she also completed her PhD on vaccinia virus DNA polymerase. After four years as a post-doc in virology at Cambridge Vet School and Department of Pathology, Fiona joined the Houghton Poultry Research Station (later the Institute for Animal Health) in 1984 to develop fowlpoxvirus as a replicating vaccine vector for important viral diseases of chickens including infectious bronchitis and Newcastle Disease. Since the late 1980's Fiona has worked on protozoan parasites (Eimeria species) of poultry with a focus on understanding how these parasites recognise and invade target host cells. Alongside basic research, she has applied genomic, proteomic and transgenic approaches to Eimeria species and continues to have a strong interest in the development of new types of vaccines for poultry infectious diseases, working in collaboration with industry. During her time at the IAH,  Fiona held senior managment posts including Head of the Division of Microbiology (2005-2010) and Deputy Director of Science (2008-2010).  She joined the RVC at the end of 2010 as Professor of Experimental Parasitology and became head of Pathology and Pathogen Biology in 2014.

Protozoan parasites of the genus Eimeria cause coccidiosis, a severe enteritis that affects many livestock species and is most serious in poultry. The parasites are transmitted by the faecal-oral route and they rapidly invade epithelial cells of the gut, causing severe damage and leading to the build-up of heavy parasite loads in the environment. In the absence of measures to control Eimeria parasites, outbreaks of severe clinical coccidiosis with high morbidity and mortality are inevitable.