I received my PhD in physics from the Cavendish Lab at the University of Cambridge in 2020, where I worked under the supervision of Professor Ulrich Keyser. My PhD research centred on exploiting a novel combination of state-of-art experimental techniques to shed new light on nanoscopic biological phenomena. In particular by combining optical tweezers, nanopipettes and fluorescence microscopy to explore processes central to biological membranes, namely the effect of salt species on nanoscale flow and the mechanical behaviour of cell membranes. My work culminated in the development of a high-resolution electrophysiology technique to enable electrical recordings from the smallest cellular components.
I am fascinated by the physics of biological systems, an interest which is necessarily interdisciplinary and requires traversing across scientific fields. Thus, following my PhD I joined the team of Nathalie Rouach in order to further advance the technique of nanopipette electrophysiology while also moving deeper into the world of neuroscience by studying the properties of astrocytes and broader neuroglial interactions in healthy and pathological contexts. To study neuroglial interactions on the nanoscale level, I employ nanopipette electrophysiology alongside conventional patch clamp and use super-resolution STED microscopy for visualisation of structures of interest.
