After completing an MSci in Biological Sciences, Helen stayed on at UCL to undertake a PhD focusing on the evolution of marine worms belonging to the Xenacoelomorpha. Following her PhD she worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Institut Pasteur, Paris, and the University of Chicago, where she focused on the evolution of gene regulation and cell types using the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis as a model system. On return to the UK, Helen began working for The Company of Biologists as Community Manager for a global community of early-career researchers advocating for preprinting in the life sciences. In June 2022 she became Head of Postgraduate Studies at the Natural History Museum, London, overseeing PhD and Master’s programmes involving the museum.
