Spotlight Scientist

Can you tell us a bit about your background and what led you to pursue a career in science?

I’ve always been curious – the kind of kid who took apart gadgets just to see how they worked (and sometimes put them back together). That curiosity turned into a love for science, and I realised I wanted to do something that could genuinely improve lives.

I graduated Liverpool John Moores University with a First-Class degree in Forensic Science. I’ve always loved the detective side of things, digging into the unknown and figuring out how to piece the evidence together. From there, I joined a large-scale molecular diagnostics company working throughout the pandemic to deliver critical results to patients. Now, as a Lead Scientist in Development and Manufacturing at Biofortuna, I help drive innovation and bring new technologies to life.

What is your current research focus or area of expertise?

I’m currently developing multiple point-of-care diagnostic tests, with a focus on scaling up processes from lab bench to full production. It’s all about making sure what works in theory can be made safely, efficiently and sustainably in the real world.

How does your work contribute to solving some of the major challenges in your field?

A large part of my work is making enzymes compatible with lyophilisation. Many storage buffers contain products like glycerol, which negatively impacts freeze-drying. I’ve led R&D projects to optimise freeze-dryer cycles, remove glycerol and identify the right excipients to make enzymes lyo-compatible. I’ve also used these data to help our customers design lyo-compatible formulations early on, saving them time and money.