Biography :
Dr Rachael Rigby gained a BSc Pathology and Microbiology from Bristol University in 1998 and obtained a PhD in Intestinal Immunology from Imperial College London in 2004. She investigated the responses of intestinal dendritic cells, in mouse and human, to bacterial products, discovering mechanisms of action of probiotics. Her postdoctorate work at UNC-Chapel Hill (2004-2008), investigated the role of gut microbiota in recovery from intestinal surgery and chemotherapy and tumour suppressor, SOCS3, in intestinal cancer and inflammation. As Senior Lecturer in Biomedicine at Lancaster University (2008-present) she continues to investigate the role of microbes in intestinal pathologies, such as cancer, infection and surgical adaptation.