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Staff Profile

Dr Christina Elliott

Senior Lecturer/ Leading Edge Curriculum Design Fellow

Background

Biography

I am a Lecturer with a background in translational neuroscience and significant experience working within academic–industry partnerships. My research focuses on molecular and synaptic mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disease, with an emphasis on pathways relevant to drug discovery and therapeutic intervention. My teaching draws on both my disciplinary research and scholarship of teaching and learning.

Alongside my research activity, I have a strong track record in teaching, curriculum leadership, and educational innovation. My teaching practice centres on technology-enhanced learning and innovative approaches such as game-based learning, with a focus on active and inclusive pedagogies.

I contribute to the academic community through curriculum and educational leadership, mentoring and peer review, widening participation, sector-facing examining and editorial work, and engagement with industry and research training partnerships.


Previous positions

  • Lecturer, University of Glasgow
  • Principal Scientist, C4X Discovery Ltd
  • Research Fellow, University of Bergen (Norway)
  • Postdoctoral Researcher, King's College London
  • Research Associate, University of Glasgow



Qualifications and Professional Development

  • Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (Advance HE)
  • Inclusive Futures Leadership Programme (Newcastle University)
  • Professional Development Course for External Examiners (Advance HE)
  • Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice (University of Glasgow)
  • PhD in Neuroimmunology (University of Glasgow)
  • BSc in Biochemistry (University of York)


Internal Roles

  • Chair, BSc Pharmacology Curriculum Committee (Course Lead)
  • Co-Lead, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (School level)
  • Lead, PARTNERS widening participation summer school
  • Mentor, Newcastle Educational Practice Skills (NEPS)
  • Mentor and Reviewer, Advance HE Professional Standards Framework (PSF)
  • Reviewer, MRC DiMeN Doctoral Training Partnership


External Roles

  • External Examiner (2022–present)
  • Scientific Consultant in drug discovery (2020–2023)
  • Editorial Board Member, BMC Research Notes (2018–present)
  • Editorial Board Member, Acta Studiorum Medicorum et Biomedicorum (2025–present)
  • Series Editor, Colloquia Erudita (2026–present)
  • STEM Ambassador


Memberships

Professional societies

  • British Pharmacological Society
  • The Physiological Society


Internal communities and committees

  • Education Research Theme
  • Cell, Gene and Molecules Research Theme
  • DiscoverAI (Opportunities & Challenges of AI in education)


Selected Honours, Awards and Competitive Funding

  • British Pharmacological Society Education Grant (2024)
  • Glasgow University Learning and Development Fund (2021)
  • Teaching Excellence Award, King’s College London (2018)
  • Finalist, GlaxoSmithKline Drug Discovery Fast Track Challenge (2015)


...

Teaching

Teaching & Assessment

My teaching is research-informed and draws on both my disciplinary expertise in pharmacology and neuroscience and scholarship of teaching and learning. I integrate disciplinary research and scholarship to design and deliver research-informed teaching that emphasises active engagement, experimental reasoning, and real-world application, with particular use of active learning and authentic assessment.

Drawing on my research background enables me to contribute to teaching across all stages of the pharmacology and biomedical sciences degree programmes.


Undergraduate

  • BGM2061: Protein Trafficking and Biological Membranes (Module Co-Leader)
  • BMS3013: Disorders of the Human Nervous System (Module Co-Leader)
  • PED3012: Integrated Pharmacology (Module Leader)


  • PED2006: Systems Pharmacology
  • BMS3003: Business Enterprise for the Bioscientist
  • BMS3016: Science Communication (Former Module Leader)
  • BMS3022: Bioethics
  • PED3008: Advanced Topics in Neuropharmacology (Former Module Leader)
  • PED3007: Drug Discovery and Development
  • CMB3000: Research Project


Postgraduate (MSc/MRes)

  • MMB8050: Therapeutic Applications of Cell Signalling Pathways
  • MMB8006: Drug Discovery and Development
  • MRes Research Projects


External teaching activities

  • Affiliate Lecturer, MSc Neuroscience, King’s College London
  • External Examiner, BSc Biochemistry and BSc Pharmacology


Research

Therapeutic application of signalling pathways, disease modelling, and drug discovery

My disciplinary research focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms underpinning neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disease, using approaches from functional genomics and molecular pharmacology. A central theme of this work is identifying disease-associated pathways that can be leveraged for therapeutic intervention, including drug discovery and drug repositioning strategies. A particular focus of my research has been the role of aberrant cell signalling and protein homeostasis in disease. This includes work demonstrating that synapse loss in Alzheimer’s disease is driven by dysregulation of non-canonical Wnt signalling, leading to the identification and validation of the clinically approved drug fasudil as a candidate for repositioning. I have also investigated strategies to modulate protein levels by targeting turnover via the ubiquitin–proteasome system, including the development of peptide-based disruptors and small-molecule approaches to stabilise disease-relevant proteins in patient-derived neuronal models.


Across these projects, I have developed expertise in targeting protein–protein interactions, combining peptide array mapping, in silico approaches, and cellular disease models to support translational decision-making. This work has been supported by competitive funding and published in peer-reviewed journals (please see my publication list).



Educational research and scholarship

Alongside my disciplinary research, I have a strong and developing profile in educational research and scholarship, with a particular focus on technology-enhanced learning and the development of students’ digital skills and research literacy. My work in this area explores how interactive and game-based approaches can support engagement, conceptual understanding, and transferable skills in bioscience education.


I lead staff–student partnership projects to co-create innovative learning resources, including digital and tabletop games designed to teach complex biomedical concepts. Current projects include the development of a non-linear, interactive games using digital storytelling, and a role-playing, game-based approaches inspired by tabletop gaming. This work underpins my teaching practice and contributes to wider discussions around active, inclusive, and research-informed pedagogy, and has attracted recognition through invited talks and workshops delivered to academic and widening participation audiences.


Educational research interests

I welcome collaboration with colleagues interested in educational research in the biosciences. My interests include (but are not limited to):

  • Technology-enhanced learning and teaching in bioscience and pharmacology
  • Game-based learning and playful pedagogies for complex biomedical concepts
  • Development of students’ digital skills and research literacy
  • Active and inclusive approaches to authentic assessment design
  • Staff–student partnerships in curriculum and learning resource co-creation
  • Research-informed teaching and integration of disciplinary research into the curriculum, bridging the gap between teaching and research
  • Compassionate and inclusive education, with a particular interest in neurodiversity
Publications