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I am now entering the third and final year of my PhD studies with Professor Christine Holt. My project is focused on elucidating molecular processes involved in the development of nervous system. After my PhD, I will be returning to Johns Hopkins School of Medicine to finish the remaining two years of medical school. My long-term interest is in nervous system damage and repair.

Nutrition during pregnancy is perhaps the most influential non-genetic factor for fetal development and lifelong health thereafter. Global rates of obesity are increasing at an alarming rate and with that, an increase in obesity during pregnancy. Children of obese mothers have an increased lifetime risk of developing cardiometabolic problems and psychiatric disorders. My PhD work will explore how maternal obesity affects immune activity to disrupt nutrient partitioning capabilities in the placenta. Through this, I hope to elucidate the mechanisms by which maternal obesity impacts fetal growth and offspring metabolism in order to develop targeted interventions for affected children. Developmental programing, reproductive health, and diet during pregnancy as a modifiable risk factor are internationally relevant science communications and public health issues. Knowledge must move from the laboratory into policy in order to reach health services. What’s more, relevant audiences have to understand and correctly apply this information. For these reasons, I am an active proponent to improving scientific literacy and access to education and dedicate my community development initiatives to creating such educational resources.

Previous Education

University of Toronto Reproductive Physiology 2020
University of Western Ontario Medical Sciences 2018

I grew up in a small town in Lithuania. After high school graduation, I started my Bachelor's degree in Biotechnology at the University of Nottingham, where I grew up a lot as a personality and also further developed my interest in Biological sciences. My first exposure to scientific research was when I joined the iGEM Nottingham 2018 team. After that, I never left iGEM, and in 2020, I was selected as an iGEM ambassador for Europe supporting teams in 2020 competition and helping the iGEM community. My second important step was to join a laboratory at the University of Cambridge for the summer, where I learned all the necessary skills and decided that I want to pursue a PhD. During my PhD, I seek to understand the reactivation of neural stem cells, which has the potential to develop into therapies for brain repair after injury or neurodegenerative diseases. Becoming Gates Scholar is not only a huge honour but also a motivation to work hard towards becoming a great scientist and work even harder for the wellbeing of society.

Previous Education

The University of Nottingham BSc Hons Biotechnology 2020