Tell us something about you most people wouldn’t know?
One of my favourite things about my postdoc time in San Francisco was learning to rock climb, even though I am terrified of heights.
What are your scientific interests?
My work is focussed on researching malaria – a disease that still has a huge negative impact on peoples’ lives globally.
I am interested in understanding how people become immune from the disease, and how we can mimic this immunity to make an effective vaccine.
Which unresolved question would you most like to answer?
Why don’t malaria vaccines protect from malaria in children, the population most at risk of disease? How can malaria vaccines be designed to improve effectiveness?
Name one tool you can’t do without:
Human clinical samples from generous volunteers and collaborators.
What has been a highlight of your research career to date?
Developing a new lab technique to study malaria parasites and how they infect red blood cells. The technique is now used globally in a wide range of malaria research.
What will be the Boyle Group’s goal?
My goal is to do research that will inform the development of malaria vaccines to be used in at-risk populations.
What will you be looking for as you build your group?
I will be looking for passionate and driven people, both to join my group and as collaborators, who are interested in applying cutting-edge technologies to human malaria immunology research.
What’s the best advice you’ve received?
There is no ‘good’ time to juggle a family and a scientific career, so make those decisions based on the personal, and not the professional, aspects of your life.