Fiona Boissonade

Professor Fiona Boissonade serves as Professor of Oral Neuroscience and Director of Impact and External Engagement at the University of Sheffield's School of Clinical Dentistry, where she leads the intercalated BMedSci programme and Sheffield Pain Network. Awarded a Personal Chair in 2003, she was the School's first female Professor.

Education:

• BDS, University of Birmingham
• PhD in Neuroscience, University of Bristol School of Physiology and Pharmacology
• Postdoctoral Fellowship, Hotchkiss Brain Institute (University of Calgary)

Research Focus: Her work centers on neuropathic pain mechanisms, nerve regeneration, and neural-immune crosstalk in disease. She investigates altered neuronal excitability in nerve injury/inflammation leading to chronic pain (particularly oro-facial), with industry collaborations (GSK, Pfizer, Eli Lilly) developing novel analgesics. Current projects explore bioengineered nerve conduits, cell therapies, and neural-immune roles in tumor progression/wound healing.

Publication Trends: Recent work (2023-2024) bridges biomedical engineering and neuroscience, focusing on peripheral nerve regeneration biomaterials and molecular pain mechanisms. Her interdisciplinary approach integrates materials science, molecular biology, and clinical dentistry to address nerve repair challenges.

Awards:

• Medical Research Council of Canada Postdoctoral Fellowship

Mentorship & Funding: She supervises a diverse international team (7 PhD, 2 BMedSci students) with grant support from EU, UK Research Councils (BBSRC/MRC), industry (GSK/Pfizer), and charities (Wellcome Trust). Her lab maintains active CASE studentships and Industrial Partnership Awards.

Research Ecosystem: Her laboratory collaborates extensively with Materials Science, Biomedical Science, Centre for Stem Cell Biology, and Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN), leveraging the University's translational research infrastructure for nerve repair and pain studies.