I am passionate about basic research that has relevance to disease. My bachelor, master and PhD were focused on elucidating the fundamental pathways involved in melanoma and prostate cancer. I then developed an interest in mutations in kinases that lead to Parkinson’s disease. I was a lead scientist in the team that finally revealed the pathway that unites many of the mutations that result in Parkinson’s disease, and I have since worked on various projects in this area, in collaboration with both academic and industrial partners. In addition to this role, I am the Research Project Manager on a major international Parkinson’s research programme sponsored by the Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s (ASAP) initiative.