We are pleased to welcome Dr. Helen Collins to the Unit as a Postdoctoral Neuroscientist in the Magill Group.

Helen holds a B.A. in Cell and Systems Biology, an M.Sc. in Neuroscience, and a D.Phil. from the University of Oxford. Helen’s doctoral research investigated the neurobiological mechanisms of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor discontinuation syndrome in mice, using a range of behavioural and neurochemical techniques. After finishing her D.Phil. in 2023, Helen worked at a biotechnology company in Oxfordshire focused on developing novel treatments for Alzheimer’s; she led a small molecule drug discovery project and established the in vivo programme of work for a mouse model of the disease.

Here in the Unit, Helen will be using fibre photometry and electrophysiology in behaving mice to characterise the signalling dynamics of dopamine and other neuromodulators in the striatum in health and experimental Parkinsonism.