Jennifer completed her BSc in Anatomy with first class honours from Glasgow University in 2002. Following a year travelling she undertook an MSc in Oncology at Nottingham University achieving a distinction in 2004. The MSc dissertation focused on The Mechanisms of EMAP-II- induced lymphocyte apoptosis, supervised by Dr C Murray. Her first position in 2004 was a Research assistant at The Human Reproductive Science Unit in Edinburgh. This position was in collaboration with Ardana Bioscience and involved screening of compounds for the induction of apoptosis in prostate cancer cell lines. In 2007 Jennifer moved to Dundee University to undertake a Research assistant position within the Cardiovascular and Diabetes Medicine department. Since her appointment within CVDM Jennifer has worked on a number of projects which have focused on complications associated with disease such as obesity, Type I and Type II diabetes and Alzheimer’s. Jennifer has spent the last 5 years working for Professor Rory McCrimmon focusing on Defective counter regulation associated with recurrent hypoglycaemia. She has been heavily involved in establishing and managing the Dundee metabolic phenotyping centre under direct supervision of Professor McCrimmon.

McNeilly AD, Gallagher JR, Dinkova-Kostova A, Hayes, JD, Ashford MLJ, Sharkey J & McCrimmon RJ (2014) Intermittent hypoglycaemia affects memory in a mouse model of type 1diabetes Diabetes under review Beall, C., Hamilton, D.L., Gallagher, J., Logie, L., Wright, K.Y., Soutar, P.M., Dadak, S., Ashford, F., Haythorne E., Jovanovic, A., McCrimmon, R.J., Ashford, M.L. Mouse hypothalamic GT1-7 cells demonstrate AMPK-dependent intrinsic glucose-sensing behaviour (In Press Diabetologia). Watterson KR, Bestow D, Gallagher J, Hamilton DL, Ashford FB, Meakin PJ, Ashford ML. Anorexigenic and Orexigenic Hormone Modulation of Mammalian Target of Rapamycin Complex 1 Activity and the Regulation of Hypothalamic Agouti-Related Protein mRNA Expression.Neurosignals. 2012 Mar 28 Meakin PJ, Harper AJ, Hamilton DL, Gallagher J, McNeilly AD, Burgess LA, Vaanholt LM, Bannon KA, Latcham J, Hussain I, Speakman JR, Howlett DR, Ashford ML. Reduction in BACE1 decreases body weight, protects against diet-induced obesity and enhances insulin sensitivity in mice. Biochem J. 2012 Jan 1;441(1):285-96. Ning K, Miller LC, Laidlaw HA, Watterson KR, Gallagher J, Sutherland C, Ashford ML.J. Leptin-dependent phosphorylation of PTEN mediates actin restructuring and activation of ATP-sensitive K+ channels. Biol Chem. 2009 Apr 3;284(14):9331-40