Hannah Dunn

While undertaking a BSc in Biology at West Virginia Wesleyan College, USA, I was part of a small team of researchers aiming to study the epidemiology of Ixodes scapularis and Lyme disease in West Virginia. This research aimed to not only understand the spread of the disease, but also provide outreach programs for local communities to raise awareness about the prevalence of Lyme disease in the area.

Prior to my completion of my bachelors program, I also worked with a research group aiming to explore the consequences of drug use of brain plasticity and neuronal activity. Using brain tissue samples from mouse models, this study observed the effect of opioids and other addictive substances on various areas of the brain at different stages of development.

After completing my BSc in 2021, I moved to the UK to begin an MSc program in Medical Genetics and Genomics at Oxford Brookes University. In this course, I worked on various projects including contrasting the expression of various genes in different forms of breast cancer in order to gain a better understanding of how cancer is diagnosed and treated. My thesis project consisted of optimising adenovirus production assays for future vaccine development by performing various transfection and viral quantification protocols using an EGFP model.

As a Senior Quality Control Scientist at the Clinical Biomanufacturing Facility, my role involves routine and batch release QC testing of various drug products, environmental monitoring, and aiding the day-to-day running of the QC lab.