In my role as Lecturer in Biology and Science Communication at Oxford Brookes University, my time is split between lab-based research on plant cells, and science communication projects. Half of my time I study the inner workings of plant cells using advanced microscopy methods. My special research interest lies in plant Golgi tethering proteins and their possible roles in Golgi biogenesis, structure and regulation of protein trafficking.In the remaining time I run science communication training for researchers and students and organise public engagement events. These range from hands-on activities for children to expressing scientific concepts through creative writing and online engagement via social media.

I am studying the formation and structural maintenance of the plant Golgi apparatus. The Golgi apparatus lies in the centre of the secretory pathway, a complex membrane system conserved in all eukaryotic cells. It is similar to a compartmentalised conveyor belt system in a factory: it processes, distributes and stores a wide range of important proteins such as storage proteins in cereal grains or proteins involved in plant stress responses. Plant cells contain many mobile Golgi bodies which move along the cytoskeleton over the endoplasmic reticulum. My special research interest lies in plant Golgi tethering factors and their possible roles in Golgi biogenesis, structure and regulation of protein trafficking.