Dr Melissa Wright

(she/her)

Publication

• Date
• Type

Research

My postdoctoral research focuses on vascular health and functioning across the brain and eye and how this interacts with the hormonal profile (e.g., levels of oestrogen, progesterone, testosterone). In particular, I am interested in woman's health and under-researched groups. My current projects focus on understanding how the fluctuations of hormones across a menstrual cycle influence vascular health, and how vascular functioning is impacted in conditions such as Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). 

I am currently working within Professor Kevin Murphy's lab, but also work with collaborators in Cardiff Metropolitan University, The University of Edinburgh, and the University of California, Los Angeles.

Funding and Awards

• WIVUK Travel Bursary; Women in Vision UK (WIVUK); £240; 2023
• Translational Knowledge Exchange & Training TKET Scheme (Institutional Translational Partnership Award (ITPA); Welcome Trust; “Pushing Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography (OCT-A) further; training in a new analysis software”; Wright M.E., Murphy K., & Terry L.; £1,281; 2022
• Travel grant (for travel to OHBM 2020); Guarantors of Brain; £400 ; 2022
• Research grant (participant and equipment costs); PsyPAG; £300; 2019
• Travel grant (for travel to OHBM 2019); Guarantors of Brain; £465 ; 2019
• Student Stipend; British Chapter ISMRM; £75; 2018
• Conference travel grant; Imaging and Perimetry Society (IPS); $1,000; 2018
• Masters Excellence Scholarship; Cardiff University, UK; £3,000 tuition discount; 2015

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In my PhD, I used fMRI (3T and 7T) and psychophysics to investigate cortical reorganisation in glaucoma, as well as relationships between the functional architecture of the eye and brain. I was funded by a Fight for Sight PhD studentship.

PhD Research Team

Dr Tony Redmond (Primary supervisor: School of Optometry and Vision sciences, Cardiff University)

Prof Krishna Singh (Second supervisor: CUBRIC, School of Psychology, Cardiff University)

Prof Simon Rushton (Third supervisor: School of Psychology, Cardiff University)

Prof James E Morgan (Collaborator: School of Optometry and Vision sciences, Cardiff University)

Prof Tom Margrain (Collaborator: School of Optometry and Vision sciences, Cardiff University)

Dr Fergal A Ennis (Collaborator: School of Optometry and Vision sciences, Cardiff University)

Biography

Educational and Professional Qualifications 

2022 –  Advanced fellow in Higher Education (AFHEA)
2016 – 2021: PhD: Cardiff University -Vision Sciences and Neuroimaging
Title: Changes in the visual cortex in glaucoma and a possible role in visual recovery: an fMRI study.
Supervisors: Tony Redmond, Krish D Singh, Simon K Rushton
2015 – 2016: MSc Neuroimaging: Methods and applications: Cardiff University
2011 – 2015: BSc Psychology with integrated placement: Aston University

Public Engagement

•       You and your hormones content editor – 2023-present – This is an endocrine-related public engagement website focused on educational articles and resources targeted towards students, parents, or teachers.
•       Every Women Festival – 2024 – During this event, I delivered a sold-out workshop on the effects of hormones on brain health, with a focus on menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause. The workshop was targeted towards the general public and was well received. In addition, I helped to host a Cardiff University stand at the event, where I could discuss ongoing research at the university and help interested people to get involved.
•       ARVO Science Communication Training Fellow – 2019-2020 – This involves a number of online training courses and assessments on the topic of public engagement and science communication. 
•       The Brain Domain – 2018 – This is a website aimed at explaining and introducing topical neuroscience to non-scientists. I submitted and published an article titled ‘Reading without Seeing’ (https://thebraindomain.wordpress.com/2018/11/13/reading-without-seeing/), which introduced cortical plasticity following vision loss in an accessible way.

Committees and reviewing

• Committee member on the Science committee for the Society for Endocrinology (SfE; 2024-2028). 
• I have undertaken editorial roles for Frontiers (research topic editor) and for the SfE public engagement site, You and Your Hormones (content editor). I have also completed scientific peer reviews for multiple neuroscience journals (e.g., Cortex, JCBFM, Journal of Neuroendocrinology).
• I am a LGBT+ advocate for the Institute of Physics LGBT+ network, which involves editing the quarterly newsletter to all network members.