I was awarded a PhD in cell and molecular biology by the University of Tasmania (Australia), after which I relocated to the UK to undertake investigations into novel druggable targets for oncotherapy. At the University of Oxford, I was part of Prof Geoff Higgins' team conducting preclinical research into the use of small molecule inhibitors of DNA damage response intermediates as radiation therapy sensitisers; and repurposing the antimalarial drug atovaquone as a remodeling agent for the tumour microenvironment. I then moved to the University of Glasgow to provide preclinical support for the PRIMUS-004 study into targeted therapy for pancreatic cancer patients in the UK as part of the Glasgow Precision Oncology Laboratory (GPOL). This work demonstrated that a subset of post-surgical patients would benefit greatly from combined ATR and PARP inhibitor treatment due to vulnerabilities in their tumour's DNA damage response system and concomitant reliance on replication stress intermediates. During the Pandemic I was part of the team of scientists who set up the Lighthouse Laboratory PCR analysis facility for the NHS in Glasgow, which processed and disseminated results from COVID testing around the UK (from regions as diverse as Penzance, Wales and Northern Ireland).