Dr McNeilly is a newly appointed Principal Investigator at the University of Dundee’s Medical School working in the Division of Systems Medicine. Her research focus is upon the impact of diabetes and, in particular, low glucose (hypoglycaemia) on cognitive and vascular function.  

Dr McNeilly received her PhD from the University of Edinburgh under the supervision of Professor Ruth Andrew and Professor Briain Walker. Her subsequent Diabetes UK and JDRF funded post-doctoral research positions with Prof Rory McCrimmon (2012-2018) focused on complications associated with repeated exposure to hypoglycaemia in Type 1 diabetes. Through this work, Dr McNeilly identified a vital neuroprotective role for the transcription factor nuclear factor erythroid 2–related factor 2 (Nrf2), providing a novel therapeutic target for managing hypoglycaemia associated complications. Dr McNeilly also proposed the concept of “habituation to hypoglycaemia” as a way of describing the condition of Impaired Awareness of Hypoglycaemia (IAH). In both rodent and clinical studies, introducing a novel “dishabituating” stimulus such as High-Intensity Training or cold exposure has partially restored the symptomatic and hormonal response to hypoglycaemia. Dr McNeilly’s research also covers the role potential role of neuroinflammation and oxidative stress in diabetes-associated cognitive and vascular complications. Dr McNeilly is a member of the IMI funded HypoRESOLVE consortium and is working on Diabetes UK, Wellcome (ISSF) and Tenovus funded projects.