Sudha completed her BSc in 2012 studying Veterinary Cellular and Molecular Science at The University of Bristol. It was there that she developed her passion for immunology and studied ‘The impact of prebiotics on the development of the piglet immune system.’

Sudha went on to secure funding from the Wellcome Trust for the 1 year MRes + 3 year PhD programme at The University of Birmingham. Her Masters degree involved three laboratory based projects in immunology, where she worked with Dr John Curnow on T cell anergy, Dr Steve Lee on chimeric antigen receptors and with us on T cell-hepatocyte interactions. At the end of her MRes, Sudha had decided that her heart was set on B cell biology.

For her PhD, Sudha is characterising the role of B cell subsets in end-stage liver diseases. Little is known regarding the composition of the liver B cell compartment; recent publications hint that B cells may be key influencers of liver inflammation in multiple disease contexts, including autoimmune and viral hepatitis. Sudha aims to identify B cell subsets found in the human liver in health and disease. Sudha is co-supervised with Professor David Adams, who is an expert in liver immunology and immunotherapy.

Sudha is an outward looking scientist with extensive experience in outreach activities. She has a passion for engaging young learners with scientific topics and won an internship position with the “Brilliant Club”, an award winning non-profit organisation that exists to widen access to top universities for outstanding pupils from non-selective state schools.