Grace is currently studying for her masters by research at the University of Salford, UK. Her research is looking into the advantages conferred by temperate bacteriophage to the Liverpool epidemic strain (LES) of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in different conditions. This has applications in the control and treatment of cystic fibrosis infections. She is due to finish her project by the beginning of 2023 as she is studying part time while also working as a research technician.
She completed her bachelor’s degree in human biology and infectious diseases at the University of Salford in 2018. She finished with a first-class degree with honours and started work as a teaching technician, eventually specialising in microbiology and becoming the lead microbiology technician at the University of Salford. While working as part of the teaching technician team, Grace gained a wide range of skills in many different fields including molecular biology, wildlife, and chemistry.
She continued to work as a teaching technician until receiving an offer to become a research technician on a project exploring disease prevalence in green urban spaces with a focus on tick borne pathogens. This project is due to start at the beginning of 2022.
Grace has also taken part in community outreach projects as part of her master’s project. This has included participation at the Cheltenham science festival, Manchester science festival and other public engagement events. She enjoys talking to the public about her specialist subjects but also enjoys learning about other areas of science.
Grace has also presented her research at several conferences, including the Microbiology society conference, the UK cystic fibrosis conference and the Salford postgraduate research conference. This has allowed her to network with many of the researchers in the field, building relationships and connections.
In her spare time, Grace enjoys reading, playing guitar and gardening. She also enjoys meeting up with friends and baking.