I joined MFIG following on from my Integrated Master’s fourth-year project, which opened the door to a series of compelling questions surrounding the evolution of antifungal resistance in hyphae. My project identified aspects of resistance evolution which were largely unexplained, driving me to look further, culminating in a PhD project, awarded through the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).

My project explores the evolution of antifungal resistance in hyphal fungal networks. My first area of interest involves interrogating heterokaryon fusion in hyphae, a process that may hold critical insights into the broader mechanisms of resistance spread and evolution in fungal masses. My research will also include multiscale modelling, integrating various scales of biological processes to better simulate in-host evolution and the selective pressure that arise. My aim is to integrate these AMR evolution-specific parameters into the Neighbour Sensing Model of filamentous fungal growth which was originally designed by David Moore and colleagues at Manchester two decades ago.