Have you ever considered how the first nine months of your life shaped you? The nutrition you received in the womb, your mother’s health while pregnant and the quality of the air she breathed -all influenced your development as a baby and health into adulthood. This field, termed developmental programming, is the focus of Emily’s research. Specifically, the effect of pregnancies complicated by placental insufficiency or maternal obesity, on the development of the fetal brain and the mechanisms that program brain disorders.

Emily obtained her Ph.D. from Monash University and subsequently undertook post-doctoral training in Switzerland and Cambridge. In 2015, she was appointed a lecturer in placental and fetal physiology at the University of Cambridge. Emily was recently recruited to The Ritchie Centre, and through lecturing, supervising and outreach teaching, continues to educate and inspire scientists and doctors of the future, as well as motivate high school students to engage in science.

To fund her developing independent research, Emily has obtained grants from The Royal Society, Medical Research Council UK, and the University of Cambridge. She has received 9 prestigious awards including the Pfizer-SRI President's Presenter's Award, produced nearly 40 publications and one book chapter.

Emily is passionate about increasing funding and support for early- to mid-career researchers, and the implementation of flexible, family-friendly work policies.

State: Victoria
Senator: David Van