Currently: Postdoctoral researcher, investigating the role of CD8+ T cells in T-cell large granular lymphocytic leukaemia (T-LGL).
Career profile: I obtained an MSc in Biochemistry from the University of Oxford in 2006, specialising in Virology, Molecular Immunology and Human Disease in my final year. Subsequently, I pursued my interest in T-cell Immunology by studying for a PhD at Cardiff University, investigating the different means of improving the interaction between the T-cell receptor (TCR; the molecule central to T-cell specificity and function) and its target, the peptide-MHC, for diagnostic and therapeutic applications. In 2011, I relocated to Paris to take up a postdoctoral research post at the UPMC, in the HIV Pathogenesis and Immunosenescence group (headed by Dr. Victor Appay). Continuing on the CD8+ T-cell theme, my work focused on understanding the parameters which define the ‘quality’ of these immune responses, in the context of HIV pathogenesis and Vaccination. During this time, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to travel and work alongside collaborators at the VRC (NIH, Bethesda, MA) and the Centre for AIDS Research (Kumamoto, Japan).I hope to bring together my knowledge of CD8+ T-cell Immunity to answer important questions surrounding their involvement in the lymphoproliferative disorder T-LGL.