Dr Sylvia L.F. Pender BSc (Hons), PhD
Associate Professor (Reader) in Mucosal Immunology
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Dr Sylvia L.F. Pender is Associate Professor (Reader) in Mucosal Immunology, within Medicine at the University of Southampton. She was one of the first to discover the involvement of matrix metalloproteinases in the immune-mediated responses, which lead to mucosal tissue inflammation in inflammatory bowel diseases.
As a mucosal immunologist, I am interested in investigating how the mucosal adaptive and innate responses can modulate disease outcomes and how intervention in them can improve the lives of patients
Sylvia obtained her PhD in pathology/immunology in 1996 in Prof Tom MacDonald's lab in St Bartholomew's and the Royal London School of Medicine, University of London. She moved to Southampton to take up a non-clinical lecturer position in 2000.
Her current research focuses on newly discovered functions of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their related proteins which play important roles in anti-inflammatory processes, anti-microbial infection, wound healing, metabolic syndrome and the diseases of ageing.
Dr Pender has played a leading role in the protease field and is an author of more than 50 original research articles on this topic.
She was a VC award winner in 2010 for promoting internationalization in the University. She is also a Global Partnership Award winner in 2013 for enhancing international research collaboration and partnership with Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong.
Qualifications
BSc. (Hons), Biochemical Sciences & Management Studies, University of Keele 1992
PhD, University of London 1996 (with an Overseas Research Scholarship award)
Appointments held
Research Fellow, St Bartholomew’s and the Royal London School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of London. 1995-2000
Non-clinical Lecturer, University of Southampton 2000
Senior Lecturer, University of Southampton 2005
Reader in Mucosal Immunology, University of Southampton 2009
Adjunct Associate Professor, International Medical University in Malaysia 2015 - 2019