Dr Lorna Fiedler obtained her honours degree in Biochemistry from York University (www.york.ac.uk), UK (2001) and her PhD in Cell and Matrix Biology from Cardiff University (www.cf.ac.uk), UK (2006). Her doctorate thesis studying the role of the extracellular component ‘decorin’ in angiogenesis was widely acclaimed, resulting in numerous awards, scientific presentations and conference bursaries. Following this, Dr Fiedler embarked on her postdoctoral training with a further year at Cardiff University, investigating the mechanisms of protease inhibition in cartilage homeostasis and the role of deregulation in arthritis. She then spent a year working with Dr. Beata Wojciak-Stothard in Clinical Pharmacology at the Rayne Institute, University College London (www.ucl.ac.uk), investigating the role of the DDAH/ADMA (risk factors for cardiovascular disease) pathway in angiogenesis and vascular disease, and was selected for presentation at the Biochemical Society meeting, Molecular and Cellular Mechanisms of Angiogenesis. She is currently a member of Michael Schneider’s group at Imperial College London (www3.imperial.ac.uk), investigating the role of the kinase MAP4K4 in pathological and non-pathological heart remodeling (2009-current).

Dr Fiedler has an excellent track record in academia and research, having given invited lectures at various conferences in the UK and beyond, including a keynote speech at the Institute for Pathobiochemistry, Muenster University, Germany. She is a Journal Club Board member in ‘Cell Adhesion and Migration’, an invited peer reviewer for the journal ‘Archives of Dermatological Research’, ‘Cell Adhesion and Migration’, and ‘Pharmacological Research’, and has successfully published  her research in a number of journals, including two invited reviews/commentaries. Dr Fiedler’s research interests lie in understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms that drive cardiovascular disease pathology and progression - with the ultimate aim of manipulating this understanding to develop therapeutic strategies.