Ever wondered why we haven't yet got a cure for cancer? That's primarily because cancer is so diverse! There are many different types, varying by location, origin, category of tumour, as well as the components of tumours. Dr Jennifer Baker designs and synthesises new drugs that target some of these components of tumours. Different cancers have different abundant proteins that drive their growth, and these proteins can be thought of like locks: particular keys can lock or unlock them, similarly to how different keys can lock or unlock particular doors. The new drugs, or compounds, can be thought of like keys: find the right one, and the tumour can be controlled! Jennifer works at the University of Wollongong, where she uses both chemical and computational methods to design these new compounds, and amazingly high-powered microscopes to visualise these compounds within their proteins.

Jennifer received her PhD at the University of Newcastle, after taking a 10-year break after high school to establish her family. Jennifer's academic profile consists of over 25 publications, 5 book chapters, and she has been awarded competitive funding over AUD $1.2 million. She is passionate about inspiring the next generation, and promoting diversity and inclusion in STEM.