Dr Lizzie Wadsworth
Faculties, deparments and locations
- Faculty of Health, Science, Social Care and Education
- Department of Applied and Human Sciences
- School of Life Sciences, Pharmacy and Chemistry
- Penrhyn Road
Lecturer in Biological Sciences
- Email:
- l.wadsworth@kingston.ac.uk
About
I completed a PhD from the University of Edinburgh studying the mitochondrial DNA of human parasites Trypanosoma brucei and Leishmania species. These parasites cause the diseases Human African Trypanosomiasis and Leishmaniasis, which are categorised as Neglected Tropical Diseases - diseases which disproportionately affect low-income populations and were historically under-researched. During my undergraduate I also worked part-time as a technician in food microbiology and STI testing laboratories.
My research uses a mix of traditional laboratory techniques and computer programming (bioinformatics). Recent advancements in molecular biology allow for generation of very large amounts of data, such as DNA sequencing, and computer programming is now key to interpreting these results. I am also doing pedagogic research investigating the links between student mental wellbeing and student engagement, and investigating interventions to help support students who may be struggling with their wellbeing.
From 2020 to 2023 I worked as a Teaching Fellow at Royal Holloway University of London, where I was teaching and co-ordinating the Foundation Year for Computer Sciences, Physics and Mathematics, and in September 2022 I was involved in the design and introduction of a new Foundation Year for Life Sciences. I joined Kingston University as a Lecturer in 2024, with a focus on education into parasitology, evolutionary biology and bioinformatics.
Qualifications
- Senior Fellow of Higher Education Academy (SFHEA), 2023
- PhD Immunology and Infectious Diseases, University of Edinburgh, 2020
- BSc Genetics and Microbiology, University of Sheffield, 2016
- Scottish Mental Health First Aid, SMHFA, 2018
Domains
I do biological research into human parasites, and pedagogic research into student mental wellbeing.
Human parasites
My research focuses on sexual reproduction in Trypanosoma and Leishmania parasites. These organisms have a complex structure for their mitochondrial DNA consisted of thousands of interconnected circular DNA molecules. During sexual reproduction, offspring inherit this DNA from both parents but little is known about the mechanism of how this occurs.
Student mental wellbeing
I am interested in looking at how all aspects of curriculum design (such as teaching structures, assessment load, support availability) as well as university-wide policies (such as extensions, extenuating circumstances, resit opportunities, late submissions) impact students struggling with poor mental wellbeing and any possible measures or interventions which can promote positive mental wellbeing and minimise the impact of mental health conditions on educational attainment and the student experience.
Publications
Organization of minicircle cassettes and guide RNA genes in Trypanosoma brucei
Cooper, Sinclair, Wadsworth, Elizabeth S., Schnaufer, Achim and Savill, Nicholas J., 2022, RNA (28), 7, pp 972-992
Assembly and annotation of the mitochondrial minicircle genome of a differentiation-competent strain of Trypanosoma brucei
Cooper, Sinclair, Wadsworth, Elizabeth, Ochsenreiter, Torsten, Ivens, Alasdair, Savill, Nicholas J and Schnaufer, Achim, 2019, Nucleic Acids Research (47), 21, pp 11304-11325