Hilary Carswell

Hilary Carswell is a Reader at the Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences (SIPBS), University of Strathclyde, within the Faculty of Science. Her research is centered on understanding brain damage and repair mechanisms, particularly in the context of stroke. She leads multiple research projects and supervises a team of PhD students and postdoctoral researchers.

Research Interests: Her work focuses on two main strategies: modulating inflammation and utilizing stem cells for brain repair. She is particularly interested in in vivo and in vitro models of brain injury, with current projects aiming to improve the success of stem cell therapies and target the blood-brain barrier in stroke. Her research includes developing human cerebral organoids and 'stroke-on-a-chip' models to replace animal testing.

Recent Publication Trends: Her latest publications (2023–2025) emphasize regenerative stroke therapies using silk biomaterials, human iPSC-derived organoids, and microfluidic models. These works highlight a shift toward human-relevant, non-animal models for stroke research, reflecting strong interdisciplinary collaboration in biotechnology and neuroscience.

• Fellow of British Pharmacological Society (FBPhS), 2024
• Brain 2022 International Conference Award
• Winner of Best Teacher in Faculty of Science, Strathclyde Teaching Excellence Award, 2018
• Multiple student awards for conference presentations

Supervision and Funding: Dr. Carswell currently supervises 3 PhD students and 1 PDRA. Her research is funded by NC3Rs, Tenovus Scotland, Neurosciences Foundation, and international grants from Saudi Arabia and Thailand. She actively mentors students and promotes interdisciplinary science education.

Labs and Collaborations: Her lab maintains strong national and international collaborations with stroke clinicians, immunologists, and pharmaceutical industry partners. She is involved in the 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction, Refinement) initiative and contributes to advancing human-relevant models in neuroscience.