BSc (Hons) Human Genetics (UCL), PhD Human Genetics (UCL)
Tel +64 4 918 5740
Email michelle.thunders@otago.ac.nz
Michelle Thunders is a Senior Lecturer in Pathology and Molecular Medicine currently working at the Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, Wellington. She obtained both a BSc (Hons) and PhD in Human Genetics from University College London and has worked in a variety of academic institutions in the UK and in NZ. She is a strong believer in inclusive genetics education and making knowledge accessible, actionable and meaningful to all.
Her research interests are in the analysis of sequencing data, both RNA and DNA, to understand health, risk and disease pathogenesis at a molecular level. She is interested in epigenomic biomarkers relative to assessing human health and disease, specifically DNA methylation and whether stressors we are exposed to, both physical and psychological, can have a legacy effect on subsequent generations. This potentially has profound implications in terms of how we assess heritability of disease, health equity and disease risk.
Michelle has been using the earthworm as a model organism to explore this hypothesis and over the last two years built up a research network including PhD students and collaborators at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Michelle is currently co-supervising three PhD students.