Dr Helen Collins

Helen completed a BA in Cell and Systems Biology at the University of Oxford in 2018. After obtaining her MSc in Neuroscience in 2019 at Oxford, she joined the Departments of Pharmacology and Experimental Psychology as part of the 1+3 Wellcome Trust DPhil in Neuroscience. Helen’s doctoral research investigated the neurobiological mechanisms of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) discontinuation syndrome in mice, using a range of behavioural and neurochemical techniques. Following completion of her DPhil, Helen worked at a biotechnology company for a year, developing novel therapies for Alzheimer’s disease.

Helen joined the Magill group in April 2024 as a Postdoctoral Neuroscientist, working as part of a Collaborative Research Network supported by Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s. Helen uses fibre photometry in behaving mice to explore the roles of rapid fluctuations in dopamine and other neuromodulators in the striatum during goal-directed behaviour. She also investigates how these neuromodulators are disrupted in experimental models of Parkinsonism.

Helen is currently the George and Susan Brownlee Junior Research Fellow at Lincoln College, Oxford.