Miss Jodie Ackland BSc, MSc, MRes
Postgraduate Research Student
Jodie Ackland is a Postgraduate Research Student in the Pulmonary Immunology group within Clinical and Experimental Sciences in the Faculty of Medicine working with Dr. Karl Staples and Professor Tom Wilkinson. Jodie's research focuses on host-pathogen interactions in the respiratory tract.
Jodie was awarded a LoveLuck scholarship to study for her undergraduate degree in Biology at Aberystwyth University. The broadness of the Biology degree allowed her to explore a wide range of topics from Bioinformatics and Functional Genomics to Immunology to Infectious Diseases and to Microbial Pathogenesis. Her dissertation project involved sampling computer keyboards in communal and office areas to investigate whether more bacteria are present on communally-used keyboards or single-user office keyboards, which has potential implications for public health infection control policies.
After completing her undergraduate degree, Jodie studied for her MSc in Biomedical Science, specialising in Medical Microbiology at Cardiff Metropolitan University. Here she was introduced to the infection and immunity field through modules such as Immunology, Molecular Biology and Medical Microbiology. Her interest in this field was furthered during her laboratory research project supervised by Dr Julia Rey-Nores and Dr Sarah Maddocks. This project used flow cytometry, ELISA, RT-PCR and gel electrophoresis to investigate the response of THP-1 monocytes infected with a mucoid and non-mucoid P.aeruginosa strain longitudinally isolated from an individual with cystic fibrosis.
After an enjoyable experience in the lab during her MSc, Jodie decided to pursue further research opportunities and is currently enrolled on the integrated PhD (iPhD) programme in Biomedical Science at the University of Southampton. After successful completion of year 1, Jodie was awarded a MRes in Biomedical Science (Immunity and Infection).
Jodie is currently working towards her PhD, investigating host-pathogen interactions in the asthmatic airway, combining her interests in the fields of infection and immunity and respiratory disease.
Degree Qualifications:
BSc, Biology, Aberystwyth (2014)
MSc, Biomedical Science (Medical Microbiology), Cardiff Metropolitan University (2016)
MRes, Biomedical Science (Immunity and Infection), University Of Southampton (2017)
PhD, University Of Southampton (2017 - present)