I grew up just outside of Sydney in the Blue Mountains and completed my Bachelor of Science at the University of Sydney, majoring in physiology. My honours year was focused on diabetes, where I spent time investigating the factors involved in the release of insulin. Following my honours year and a subsequent short research scholarship, I worked in a pathology lab for just over a year. Although I enjoyed my time there, I found myself missing science. Fortunately, I had an encounter with Associate Professor Sean Lal, who generously offered me the chance to pursue a master’s degree under his guidance and supervision.
I am in the process of converting from a master’s degree to a PhD and have been extremely fortunate to receive a Baird Institute Scholarship for 2024 and 2025. This amazing opportunity will allow me to conduct important research into the potential key drivers that cause our hearts to age, as well as the relationship between aging and heart failure. Specifically, I will be focusing on a group of factors that might be causing the aged heart to not relax properly, thus impairing its ability to fill with blood. I will also be investigating whether these same factors may promote cardiac regeneration following a heart attack.
