Dr Helen Collins

Helen completed a B.A. in Cell and Systems Biology from the University of Oxford in 2018. After obtaining her M.Sc. in Neuroscience in 2019 at Oxford, she joined the Departments of Pharmacology and Experimental Psychology as part of the 1+3 Wellcome Trust D.Phil. in Neuroscience programme. 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. After finishing her D.Phil. in 2023, Helen worked at a biotechnology company in Oxfordshire focused on developing novel treatments for Alzheimer’s disease; she led a small molecule drug discovery project and established the in vivo programme of work for a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease.

Helen joined the Magill Group at the MRC BNDU in April 2024, where she will use fibre photometry and electrophysiology in behaving mice to characterise the signalling dynamics of dopamine and other neuromodulators in the striatum in health and experimental Parkinsonism.