معرفی
Dr. Prachi Stafford is a Senior Lecturer in Biological Sciences at Sheffield Hallam University's College of Health, Wellbeing and Life Sciences. She teaches undergraduate and postgraduate courses, including leadership of the L6 Research Project and MSc Applied Diagnostics modules. As a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA), she integrates active research into pedagogy to enhance student engagement. Her academic credentials include a BSc in Pharmacology (University of Sheffield), MRes in Biomolecular Science (University of York), and PhD in Haematology/Immunology (University of Cambridge), complemented by industry experience at MedImmune.
Her research program centers on host-pathogen interactions involving periodontal pathogens Porphyromonas gingivalis and Tannerella forsythia, examining their roles in systemic diseases like cardiovascular conditions and diabetes. She utilizes multi-omics approaches (proteomics, phosphoproteomics, metabolomics) alongside molecular biology techniques to investigate pathogen interactions with epithelial cells, platelets, and endothelial cells. Current collaborative projects include studying low-level carbon monoxide health effects (with Dr. Mari Herigstad) and microclot pathology in long COVID (with Dr. Caroline Dalton).
Publication analysis reveals dominant themes in microbiology (63%), hematology (22%), and education (15%), with recent work emphasizing bacterial manipulation of host stress responses and pedagogical innovation during crises. Her 40+ articles demonstrate consistent focus on molecular mechanisms of periodontal pathogenesis and platelet biology, with growing attention to educational equity.
Awards & Honors:
- Wellcome Trust Discipline Hopping Fellowship
- Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
She currently supervises four doctoral candidates: Chloe Smith (vascular models for P. gingivalis), Simon Clark (low-CO developmental effects), Josh Durrans (cardiac impact of CO), and Meghan Hird (CO neuroeffects). Past supervisees include Dr. Alex Knowles (stress response-pathogen crosstalk) and Dr. Alex Andrews (periodontal pathogen-platelet interactions). Research funding sources include CO Research Trust and Patient Led Research Collaborative.
External roles include committee positions with the Department of Health's COMed group, Platelet Society (EDI Lead), Biosciences Awarding Gap network, and external examinership at Birmingham City University. She leads multiple cross-institutional collaborations focusing on pathogen virulence mechanisms and equity in STEM education.
