About
Jodie is currently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Pulmonary Immunology working with Dr. Karl Staples and Professor Tom Wilkinson, investigating the modulation of inflammatory pathways in chronic respiratory disease. She has a particular interest in host-pathogen interactions in the airway, especially bacterial-viral co-infections and how these interactions impact on the macrophage immune response.
Research
Research interests
- Respiratory
- Infection
- Immunity
Current research
Jodie's research focuses on how the respiratory bacterium, Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) can persist within host macrophages and whether this persistence modulates immune responses to subsequent viral infection (e.g. influenza) in the airway and the impact this may have on those with chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma and COPD. She combines experimental laboratory work and bioinformatic analysis to investigate how these interactions impact on both the host and pathogen, with a view to identify novel theraeputic targets to reduce burden of these pathogens on airway inflammation and improve patient outcomes.
Research projects
Active projects
Publications
Supervision
Current PhD Students
External roles and responsibilities
Biography
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 biological sciences. Her dissertation research 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 decided to study for her MSc in Biomedical Science, specialising in Medical Microbiology at Cardiff Metropolitan University. Here her interest in infection and immunity field grew and was furthered developed during her laboratory research project supervised by Dr Julia Rey-Nores and Dr Sarah Maddocks. This project used a number of molecular and cellular techniques 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 completed an Asthma UK funded PhD in Biomedical Science (Immunity and Infection) at the University of Southampton. Here, Jodie combined her interests in the fields of infection and immunity and respiratory disease and used a combination of experimental infection modelling and bioinformatic analysis to explore the complex interplay between respiratory tract infections and the lung immune response. After successful completion of her PhD, Jodie became a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Pulmonary Immunology working with Dr. Karl Staples and Professor Tom Wilkinson, investigating the modulation of inflammatory pathways in chronic respiratory disease.
Prizes
- BALR Travel Award (2017)
- BALR Travel Award (2019)
- Outstanding Poster Award (2019)
- Best Poster Presentation Prize (2019)
- Best Contribution to the Faculty (2020)
- Doctoral College Director's Award 2020 - Citizenship and Community (2020)
- ERS Young Scientist Sponsorship (2020)
- BALR Early Career Researcher Prize (2021)
- Loveluck Scholarship (2011)