Dr Becky Hall’s scientific career began when she first set foot in the Kent teaching laboratories as an undergraduate Biochemistry student. Back then, she had no idea that she would one day lead her own lab at Kent with a £2.9 million Wellcome Trust award to her name, investigating the pathogen responsible for 70% of fungal infections around the world.
‘I always knew I wanted to work in scientific research but at that time I was thinking more about working in Pfizer -which was big at the time- as I had no idea that academic research existed. I selected Biochemistry because I thought the modules provided a good basis for entry into industry. Throughout the course I developed favourite modules like biochemistry and advanced enzymology, but this was largely fuelled by the passion of, and delivery by, the lecturers (Professor Lloyd Ruddock and Dr Peter Klappa) than the content. I have very fond memories of these lecturers and they inspire my teaching methods today.’
It was during her undergraduate studies that Becky developed an interest in how organisms respond and adapt to their environment to survive. This led her to pursue a PhD at Kent investigating how nematodes (such as the worm C. elegans commonly used in research) respond to changes in environmental pH.
‘During my PhD I learnt that science is a subject where the more you put in the more rewarding it becomes, especially when working in the lab. This has fuelled my work ethic ever since – although now I miss not being in the lab as much!’
After completing her PhD, Becky remained at Kent for a postdoctoral position – her first project focussing on Candida albicans. This is a naturally occurring fungus that lives in the mouth, the gastrointestinal tract and on the skin of 40-60% of the human population. Most of the time it doesn’t cause any issues but under certain conditions it can become pathogenic and lead to infection. In immune-compromised people, it can result in life-threatening disease.
One condition that can lead C. albicans to change shape into a more pathogenic form is exposure to elevated concentrations of carbon dioxide, such as that found in the blood stream. By investigating this response, Becky and her colleagues were able to identify the compounds involved and identify new targets for anti-fungal drug development.
Left: Fluorescent microscopy can be used to visualise where C.albicans is interacting with immune cells. Right: the preparation of a tray for cell culture.
Looking to enhance her skillset, Becky then moved north to the University of Aberdeen where she continued her study of C. albicans. ‘The Aberdeen fungal group was the biggest fungal research group in the UK -and probably internationally- at that time. The project I applied for led me into host-pathogen interactions linking microbiology and immunology, a topic that was not researched at that time at Kent.’
‘See you don’t need to be an old man to be a mycologist #womeninscience’ (Twitter, 2015). Dr Hall is fourth from the right.
Becky developed an interested in fungal-bacterial interaction and in 2014 was awarded a Medical Research Council Career Development Award to establish her own research group at the University of Birmingham to investigate this further. It’s there that she polished off her fungal expertise before returning to the School of Biosciences at Kent in 2020 to lead a new team as part of the Kent Fungal Group which represents one of the largest collections of fungal research groups in the UK.
‘I decided to come back to Kent partly due to the collaborative nature and support from the School of Biosciences. I was excited to bring new research themes with me and help expand the expertise within the School.’
‘Busy day today unpacking and setting up the lab. Everything is so shiny, new and clean. I wonder how long that is going to last’ (Twitter, 2020).
Becky’s current team are advancing our understanding of how pathogenic fungi (Candida, Cryptococcus and Rhizopus) adapt to life within the human host and how, in turn, this adaptation affects the interaction between the pathogen and host.
Her enthusiasm for this research is something that Becky is keen to impart on her students. ‘The majority of my teaching is based on my research. I teach fungal pathogenesis at both third year and MSc level and directly incorporate my research findings into my lectures.
I enjoy enthusing students about fungal pathogens, which are normally overlooked in many degrees, and introducing them to research. For me, experiments are the best part of science, there is nothing better than discovering something new and for short moment in time being the only person to hold this knowledge. I am passionate about supporting students to enter postgraduate research degrees, and am currently the Divisional Director for Graduate Research and Student Experience.’
Becky’s latest project, awarded £2.9 million from the Wellcome Trust, will see her collaborate with Dr Rebecca Drummond at the University of Birmingham Over the next eight years, they will use a combination of fungal molecular biology techniques to investigate how C. albicans changes the structure and composition of its cell wall to ‘hide’ from the immune system. This could unlock the development of treatments which can restore the ability of human immune cells to recognise this pathogen and therefore prevent infection.
‘This about sums up my lab’ (Twitter, 2022).
Speaking of the Wellcome Trust award, Becky said, ‘I have to thank past and present group members for their hard work whose data and discoveries made it possible for me to apply for this grant.’
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