Getting to know our ECRs - Dr Clare Westhorpe

Can you explain your research?

I work with Prof Michael Hickey and Prof Richard Kitching in the Centre for Inflammatory Diseases (Dept of Medicine). We are looking at how different types of immune cells damage the kidneys during autoimmune disease. We are able to image cells moving about in the kidney in live, anaesthetised mice, which is really cool. We're hoping to work out how to turn off the immune pathways that cause kidney damage.

What skills do you have that you could share with your colleagues?

Intravital imaging on the multiphoton microscope and flow cytometry. 

When you were young, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Even when I was a kid, I wanted to be a scientist. What a nerd! 

What do you enjoy doing outside work?

Taking my kids to sport! I have two young boys, Jack who's in prep and Charlie who's 2 years old (that's him in the pic). 

Something your work colleagues probably don’t know about you?

I also help run a kindergarten committee, which has shown me a lot about people, business and government.