Charlie Heaven

Charlie Heaven is a Research Associate in the Division of Cancer Sciences at the University of Manchester, working within the PRECISE research group. Her expertise bridges experimental radiobiology and computational bioinformatics to advance precision cancer therapy through proton and photon radiation studies.

Education:

• Master in Science in Bioinformatics & Systems Biology, The University of Manchester (2018)
• Bachelor of Science in Molecular Cell Biology, University of York (2015)

Her research centers on cellular radiation responses, specifically micronuclei dynamics, cGAS/STING pathway activation, and double-strand break repair mechanisms. She employs integrated wet-lab and computational approaches to investigate radiation-induced chromosome aberrations, with strong emphasis on proton therapy optimization. Her work directly contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals for health and well-being through cancer treatment innovation.

Publication trends reveal a cohesive focus on micronuclei as biological dosimeters, linear energy transfer effects, and anomalous diffusion modeling in DNA repair. This interdisciplinary trajectory combines radiation physics, molecular biology, and data science to quantify relative biological effectiveness across radiation modalities.

Heaven actively mentors PhD students within the PRECISE group, indicating leadership in graduate training. Her research program likely draws support from cancer research consortia and radiation oncology initiatives focused on translational applications.

The PRECISE group provides her primary research ecosystem, specializing in precision radiation oncology through advanced biomarker development and mechanistic radiobiology studies.