Laura studied Chemistry and Mathematics through the Natural Sciences program at Durham University, graduating in 2017, then spent a year working in industrial labs. In 2018-2019, she studied an MRes in Green Chemistry, Energy and Environment at Imperial College London, undertaking a 9-month research project with Profs Jason Hallett and Karen Polizzi on modifying and stabilising enzymes to improve biocatalysis for greener chemical processes. For her PhD at the University of Oxford, Laura’s research focussed on the sustainable and renewable production of biochemicals from bacteria and organic waste, where she was also awarded an EPSRC Doctoral Prize Fellowship.
In Cambridge Laura is part of the Hollfelder group in the Biochemistry Department, and working on the Preventing Plastic Pollution with Engineering Biology (P3EB) project, using high-throughput screening methods to evolve plastic-degrading enzymes. The project is a collaboration between a number of leading UK universities to find a biological method for treating plastic waste. Laura will be bringing this interest in addressing plastic pollution and waste management to King’s by working with the college to monitor and improve its recycling rates and awareness.
