I’m a neurobiologist interested in the brain mechanisms that make some individuals more likely to developing chronic pain and mental health disorders. My work focuses on how cortical areas regulate sensory processing and behaviour, enabling adaptation to changing environments and physiological states. More recently, my research has shifted toward interoceptive systems — how the brain senses and regulates the body’s internal state — rather than purely exteroceptive pathways.

I study chronic pain because the unmet need is profound. Chronic pain devastates quality of life for patients and carers, and its societal and economic impact is enormous. Current therapies are often inadequate. While decades of research on nociceptive systems have expanded our understanding, they have not yielded effective treatments. I focus on the brain’s “executive control” regions because I believe that a better understanding of how nociceptive, emotional, and cognitive systems interact is essential for identifying new therapeutic targets, refining existing ones, and improving patient stratification for precision treatments.

My expertise spans the nociceptive (pain) system from the bottom up and the top down. I have developed experimental techniques to selectively monitor and manipulate neuronal activity in behaving animals, helping to distinguish cause from effect and to map local and inter-regional circuit mechanisms. This integrative approach allows me to link single-neuron activity to circuit dynamics and ultimately to behaviour. A distinctive strength of my work is the ability to connect ideas across physiology, psychology, and clinical science, designing experiments with improved translational relevance for patients.

I am keen to collaborate with people living with chronic pain and mental health conditions to shape a research agenda that matters to them. I also see great value in working with pharmaceutical companies to translate fundamental neuroscience into therapies, and with digital health innovators who could deliver brain-based or cognitive-based treatments.

If you’re interested in my research or in potential collaboration, please feel free to get in touch.