I am a biomedical scientist with an interest in applying bioengineering methods to answer cardiac questions about causes and consequences of arrhythmias. I am based in the Department of Pharmacology, University of Oxford. In 2015 I was awarded a Churchill Fellowship in Science and Engineering which allowed me to spend time in Stony Brook University, USA.

Arrhythmias or heart rhythm problems are experienced by more than 2 million people a year in the UK alone. Certain types of arrhythmias can cause sudden cardiac death. Cardiac stimulation via sympathetic neurons can potentially trigger arrhythmias.

The research performed during my Fellowship in collaboration with colleagues in the USA and UK resulted in publication (Optical Interrogation of Sympathetic Neuronal Effects on Macroscopic Cardiomyocyte Network Dynamics, in iScience, Volume 23, Issue 7, 24 July 2020, 101334). The highlights of the paper include: a methodology to study neuron-cardiac interactions and demonstration of optogenetic control (use of light to control neurons that have been genetically modified to express light-sensitive ion channels) of sympathetic neurons and their effects on cardiac behaviour.