Dr Samantha Wilson

Background

Sammy graduated from Keele University with a Bachelor's degree in Biological and Medicinal Chemistry and Biology in 2006. Following her degree, she remained at Keele and went on to complete a Post Graduate Certificate in Education. Sammy obtained my Qualified Teacher Status at Thomas Alleyes High School in Uttoxeter in 2008 where she taught pupils aged 13-18 biology, chemistry, physics and rural science. 

Following teaching, she was a successful applicant to the EPSRC Doctoral Training Centre scheme which is a 4-year multidisciplinary programme that allowed her to utilise both her biological & chemistry background.

During the first year of this programme, she trained at Loughborough, Keele and the University of Nottingham. Through this programme Sammy completed her PhD at the Institute for Science and Technology in Medicine, Keele University; her project was focussed on the development and characterisation of human corneal stromal models. In particular, Sammy investigated the influence of chemical, topographical and cellular cues in order to more closely mimic the in vivo environment with the aim to restore cultured corneal stromal cells to their native cell lineage. 

Following my PhD, Sammy secured an EPSRC E-TERM fellowship and moved to the University of Nottingham in 2013. She remained in the field of corneal tissue engineering with the aim to develop a functional corneal replacement by utilising corneas deemed unsuitable for transplantation. The construct was developed for use in both in vitro toxicity testing & as an effective substitute for transplantation.

In 2015 Sammy became involved in a Loughborough-led Traumatic Brain Injury Pilot project in collaboration with the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine, Birmingham. The project aimed to scope a programme of work and a subsequent proposal on the opportunities to improve and apply technologies from stroke rehabilitation and other areas to the rehabilitation of traumatic brain injury, taking into account defence specific issues including blast.  She determined the clinical needs and requirements related to military traumatic brain injury; identifying technology opportunities driven by the clinical requirements and the opportunities to transfer technology from adjacent fields; and identifying research and development requirements for these opportunities both technological and scientific, and permitted adoption.  A strong underlying focus is establishing areas of work in traumatic brain injury which will allow for the transfer of medical innovations from military and civilian settings. 

In 2016, Sammy became a part of the UKRMP Pluripotent Stem Cell Platform where she worked as part of a strong, international multidisciplinary team (Centre for Stem Cell Biology, Sheffield University, the WellcomeTrust/MRC Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, the Centre for Biological Engineering, Loughborough University, the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, the Babraham Institute and the National Institute of Biological Standards and Control, Lund University). The aim is to develop and improve scalable bio-processes for pluripotent stem cell manufacture, including consideration of product and process-release criteria, cost-effective scalable banking and automation. 

Qualifications:

• 2019: Mental Health First Aider, Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) England 
• 2018: Institute of Leadership and Management Certificate (ILM), Level 4
• 2018: Fellow of the Higher Education Academy in recognition of attainment against the UK Professional Standards Framework, Recognition Reference: PR148753
• 2018: TICTA First Aid at Work, CIMSPA Endorsed, Certificate Number 1707/TICTA87
• 2016: Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy in recognition of attainment against the UK Professional Standards Framework, Recognition Reference: PR104966
• 2016: Institute of Leadership and Management Certificate (ILM), Level 3
• 2016: Associate Teachers Programme (ATP) towards a PGCHE/PGCAP, University of Nottingham
• 2013: PhD Biomedical Engineering, Thesis: Optimisation and characterisation of human corneal stromal models, Keele University. Supervisors: Prof Ying Yang & Prof Alicia El Haj
• 2008: Qualified Teacher of Science (QTS) Secondary Science, Teacher reference number: 0656258
• 2007: Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) in Secondary Science, Keele University
• 2006: BSc (Hons), Biological and Medicinal Chemistry and Biology, 2:1, Keele University

Research interests

My research focuses on four aligned and reinforcing strands:

• Healthcare manufacturing, including critical process parameters affecting cellular behaviour, alongside challenges associated with the characterisation and scale-up of cell therapies.
• Corneal biomimetic models, including decellularised tissues as alternatives to donor tissue.
• Toxicology models, developing animal-free and human appropriate models for industrial and pre-clinical research.
• Traumatic brain injuries, including evidence-based rehabilitation strategies and appropriate models specifically for use in wound healing and rehabilitative therapies.

Grants and contracts

• 2019-2022: Developing a Diagnostic test for Keratoconus: Investigating the role of local stiffness changes in early onset keratoconus, Fight for Sight/Keratoconus Group UK Small Grant award, E4KE182, £15,000 as PI, Loughborough University. 

• 2016: Development of a synthetic hematoma environment, Seed funding through EPSRC-NIHR HTC “Plus” partnership: UNIFY/UNIFY Plus Sandpit Funding, EP/N027221/1,£20,000 as Co-I, PI Ifty Ahmed, University of Nottingham. 

• 2016: Developing a neuro-mimetic multicellular model for traumatic brain injury, EPSRC standard research funding, EP/I017801/1, £45,000 as Co-I, PI Chris Adams, Keele University. 

• 2015: Theagen: An ‘off the shelf’ transplantable biological matrix for ocular surface regeneration, EPSRC Impact Acceleration account, EP/K503800/1,£96,551 as Co-I, PI Andrew Hopkinson, University of Nottingham. 

• 2015: MEIbioeng15 conference registration bursary, £200, as PI. 

• 2014: An innovative strategy for vision regeneration using a transplantable tissue-engineered corneal construct, EPSRC Impact Acceleration Account, £51, 402 as PI. 

• 2014: EPSRC sponsorship to attend the 9th Annual World Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine Congress, £2,004. 

• 2014: Structural analysis and recellularisation of decellularised corneal scaffolds, Short Scientific Mission in collaboration with Trinity College, Dublin as part of the COST Action BM-1302, Joining Forces in Corneal Regeneration Research, €2,500, as PI. 

• 2014: The development of a novel human corneal substitute using Ologen® collagen matrix™, industrial translational funding from Aeon Astron, Europe, €4,000, as PI. 

• 2014: LimboTox: “Cornea in a culture dish”, an animal free engineered model for industrial and pre-clinical research, University of Nottingham Hermes Innovation Fellowship, £27,000, as PI. 

• 2013: An industrial collaboration to aid in the manufacture, processing and marketing of in vitro corneal constructs, University of Nottingham Hermes Travel fellowship, £1,500, as PI. 

• 2013: TCES Travel Award, £150, as PI, used to fund attendance at TERMIS 2013 Istanbul conference. 

• 2013-2016: The development of a novel human corneal substitute using decellularised corneas, EPSRC-ETERM Landscape Fellowship, £250,000, as PI. 

• 2011: 4th joint ESAO-IFAO World Congress travel scholarship to Porto, Portugal, €700, as PI. 

Current teaching responsibilities