Measuring Health

There is much we can reveal about population exposure trends (e.g. drugs, diseases) by analysing wastewater through wastewater-based epidemiology. However, when it comes to food consumption, a different approach is needed. We now have greater access to high‑quality food than ever before, yet the availability of ultra‑processed products is vast. These foods are high in energy, low in nutritional value and easy to overconsume. Such eating patterns can negatively affect health, but we still know surprisingly little about how much of these foods is consumed. Most existing estimates rely on small studies, self‑reports, or food labels, which are often incomplete or biased. My research takes a complementary approach. Instead of asking people what they eat or controlling what they are given to eat, we look for chemical clues in urine. These clues, known as food‑intake‑related biomarkers, reveal exposure to specific food groups. By analysing stratified pooled urine samples from the general population, we aim to understand not only how much is consumed (population‑level trends), but also which factors may influence consumption patterns, such as policies, demographics, socioeconomic status and time.

How does our brain know when to stop growing? And what can Goldilocks teach us about neurobiology? Over the years, researchers have identified the causative genes of a rare group of neurodevelopmental disorders - yet we still know very little about what these genes do in the brain. My research focusses on modelling these disorders, so we can compare and contrast how different genetic mutations drive convergent disorders, and attempt to better understand what is going on at a molecular level.

Cells in our brains, called neurons, form networks of nerves throughout the body and carry out crucial functions. But when they’re damaged, our bodies have very limited ability to repair them, leading to conditions like dementia, MND, and paralysis. Remarkably, a tiny worm called C. elegans can repair broken neurons by simply 'gluing' them back together. Our research has identified key molecules involved in this repair process, with the goal of one day using them to treat our own nerve injuries.