My research focuses on the role of the hypothalamus in the control of energy homeostasis and reproduction. Both of these physiological roles have important implications for human health. I am particularly interested in how the gut senses nutritional status and signals to appetite centres of the brain such as the hypothalamus and brain stem to regulate food intake. I am also interested in how central hypothalamic neuropeptide circuits act to control body weight and reproductive function.

I have won funding from sources including the BBSRC, the MRC, the Technology Strategy Board, the Society for Endocrinology, the British Society for Neuroendocrinology, the British Pharmacological Society and the NC3Rs. I have successfully supervised more than thirty PhD students to completion. I am an honorary fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, Director of Postgraduate Studies (Research) for the Department of Medicine, and Admissions Tutor for the Faculty of Medicine with particular responsibility for widening participation.