Biography

Growing up, I spent every possible moment in or near the ocean. I was captivated by the complexity of marine life, and for most of my childhood, dreamt of becoming a marine biologist. This early passion for the sea eventually led me to pursue a degree in Marine Biology at the University of Glasgow, eventually pivoting towards Genetics. This is where I first encountered transmissible cancers. I was immediately drawn to the mystery of these diseases in bivalves that defy our conventional understanding of cancer by spreading between individuals, and even species, moving across oceans. This phenomenon presents a rare biological system that challenges the boundaries of what we consider to be an organism and how they arise. To truly understand it requires an interdisciplinary approach spanning evolution, cancer biology and marine ecology. My own fascination lies in the genomics: how these cancers have evolved from host tissue into parasitic lineages, capable of independent, parallel evolution. It is here that I aim to contribute to understanding the nature and evolution of these unique diseases.

Previous Education

University of Glasgow Genetics with Data Science