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Biography

I am Lecturer in Pharmaceutical Science at King's College London. My research focuses on developing nanotechnologies for medicinal applications and evaluating their safety. Before coming to King's, I worked in R&D as a postdoctoral fellow for a US biotech company specialising in inhaled medicines. I received a degree in pharmacy and a PhD in pharmaceutical sciences from the Philipps University in Marburg, Germany. 

What motivated you to engage the public with your work?

My interest in public engagement stems both from my teaching and research interests at KCL. Recently, I became aware of several extremely interesting nanotechnology-related public engagement initiatives carried out throughout the UK and internationally. I was very intrigued by this research as it has the potential to impact society on a broad scale. The idea of contributing to a public dialogue on important scientific and technical issues, such as nanotechnology, as well as being involved in the scientific evaluation of these initiatives on public perception and policy-making is very appealing to me.  

Describe the public engagement work you have done

The art of science communication, which I practice through my teaching, is one of the real joys of my job. However, I would now like to expand these activities to a wider audience. I want to run a year-long series of debates focusing on current controversial issues in biomedical science, and have recently submitted a funding application for this work. I have further ideas for two proposals in the area of public engagement which I would like to develop soon.

I would especially like to connect with other people participating in nanotechnology-related schemes, as this would be a direct extension of my own scientific work. On a personal level, I am very interested in the interplay between science and public policy and would like to develop my skills in this direction. This would also be an opportunity to contribute to PE efforts within my own institution.