Personal Statement
I am a Senior Clinical Lecturer in Neurosurgery at the University of Liverpool and a consultant neurosurgeon at The Walton Centre. My clinical and research interests focus on common brain tumours - glioma and meningioma - but particularly brain metastases, cancers that have spread to the brain from elsewhere in the body.

My research investigates how brain metastases invade surrounding brain tissue, how this behaviour relates to the local immune environment, and how it can be measured using MRI. My published work has linked tumour invasion, metastasis-associated proteins and immune-cell infiltration with imaging features and patient outcomes. The long-term aim is to use this understanding to improve assessment and treatment of disease at the tumour-brain boundary.

I combine clinical neurosurgery with research using precisely located surgical tissue samples, histopathology and quantitative imaging. I am developing spatial profiling approaches to investigate interactions between tumour cells and their surrounding tissue. Through collaborations in cancer biology, immunology and imaging, I am building a programme that connects observations in patients with experimental investigation.

I studied medical sciences and neuroscience at the University of Cambridge and clinical medicine at the University of Oxford. I undertook specialist neurosurgical training in Liverpool and at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, with a focus on brain and spine tumours. My Medical Research Council-funded PhD investigated brain metastasis invasion and received the British Neuro-Oncology Society’s Young Researcher of the Year award. Subsequent research has received support from Cancer Research UK and the Royal College of Surgeons as well supporting PhD students under my supervision to secure awards from the NIHR and Brain Research UK.

I co-supervise doctoral researchers and work with clinical, scientific and patient partners to develop research addressing the needs of people affected by brain tumours.

Research Overview
Brain metastasis invasion and the tumour–brain interface
I investigate why some brain metastases infiltrate surrounding brain tissue and how interactions between tumour cells, immune cells and resident brain cells contribute to this behaviour. My work combines surgically collected tissue, histopathology and spatial profiling to understand the biology of the invasive boundary and its relationship to local recurrence.

Imaging tumour biology and treatment response
I study how MRI can reveal biological features of brain tumours, including invasion and immune-cell infiltration. A particular focus is diffusion MRI and its potential to provide clinically useful information about the tumour–brain interface and response to treatment.

Translational neuro-oncology
I work with multidisciplinary collaborators to connect laboratory findings with clinical questions in brain metastases, meningioma and glioma. This includes studies of the tumour microenvironment, imaging biomarkers and treatment outcomes, alongside doctoral supervision and patient involvement.