About me
I completed my undergraduate degree at The University of Manchester in Biology with Industrial/ Professional Experience. During my time here, I formed an interest in host-pathogen interactions which lead me to pursue my PhD project as it allows me to investigate the interactions between plant parasitic nematodes and their host plants at the molecular level.
My project
Under the supervision of Professor Urwin, I am investigating the regulation of differential gene expression in plant parasitic nematodes in response to their hosts. Plant parasitic nematodes are major economic pests and I am currently working to uncover some of the molecular mechanisms underpinning host preference in order to develop potential new control mechanisms. I am interested in determining which species of plant parasitic nematode display host-specific gene expression and identifying the complement of genes that are differentially expressed. In addition, I aim to characterise the components of root exudates responsible for differential expression.