Personal Statement
I qualified as a veterinary surgeon from the University of Cambridge in 2005, having also completed an intercalated degree in neurophysiology. Following graduation I moved to the Royal Veterinary College to undertake a general rotating internship followed by specialist clinical training in Veterinary Neurology and Neurosurgery. In 2009 I passed the diploma examination of the European College of Veterinary Neurology and I am a recognised RCVS and EBVS® European Specialist in Veterinary Neurology. During my residency I developed an interest in neuromuscular diseases and afterwards joined the Comparative Neuromuscular Diseases Laboratory at the Royal Veterinary College, University of London for a doctoral research project on centronuclear myopathy in dogs. I have been at the University of Liverpool since 2013 and am a Senior Lecturer in Veterinary Neurology. I continue to have a particular interest in comparative neuromuscular disorders and my time is split between research, teaching and clinical veterinary work at the Small Animal Teaching Hospital.

Keywords: comparative neuromuscular; inherited myopathy; canine HACD1-CNM; zebrafish model; lipidomics

Research Overview
Mutations in the gene encoding HACD1 – a muscle specific enzyme for fatty acid biosynthesis - cause autosomal recessive congenital myopathies in humans, dogs and mice. My research aims to elucidate the pathogenetic mechanisms of these myopathies and discover the functions of HACD
enzymes and lipids in muscle. I welcome applications from prospective PhD students and postdoctoral fellows.