Some Blonde Scientist
Dr Georgia Atkin-Smith
Australian scientist and
passionate science advocate
Some Blonde Scientist
Dr Georgia Atkin-Smith
Australian scientist and
passionate science advocate
About me
Some Blonde Scientist I Dr Georgia Atkin-Smith
I am a Cell Biologist at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research working under the mentorship of A/Prof Edwin Hawkins, Prof Gemma Kelly and Prof Andreas Strasser. By using high resolution imaging approaches and pre-clinical models, my research aims to explore how cancer cells grow, respond to therapeutics and are removed by immune cells called phagocytes. I currently co-supervise 3 PhD students at the WEHI and the La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science.
I completed a Bachelor of Biotechnology and Cell Biology with Honours, followed by a PhD in Biochemistry under the supervision of Prof Ivan Poon and Prof Mark Hulett at La Trobe University. My PhD project investigated how dying monocytes (key white blood cells) undergo a dramatic dance of death and fragment into abundant small pieces called apoptotic bodies. At the conclusion of my PhD in 2019, my research uncovered key regulators of this process, it's role in dying cell removal and infectious disease, and developed novel tools we can use to study the cell death process.
In addition to working at the lab bench, I am a passionate science advocate and public speaker. I believe all scientists have a responsibility to communicate what we do, and communicate it honestly. To aid the transparency of science and make it more accessible, I frequently partake in outreach opportunities and document my life as a scientist as Some Blonde Scientist on Instagram. The world is what it is today because of science and we need the next generation to know just how life-changing being a scientist can be.
News!
Launch of the Australasian Cell Death Society and more!
Hot off the press: Novel biomarker to track tissue damage during cancer!
Our latest study, now published in Nature Communications, has identified a novel biomarker found in the blood that can detect blood vessel damage in distal organs during cancer. We used high resolution intravital microscopy to see inside the bone marrow and track how blood vessels behave under healthy and cancerous settings. For the first time, we captured the formation of endothelial cell extracellular vesicles in vivo and discovered how leukaemia can enhance this process. Check out our study here!
The ACDS is here!
Some people made sour dough, others, home renos. However, my free time in the COVID lockdowns was spent developing the first Australian-lead society dedicated to cell death research. The Australasian Cell Death Society (ACDS) is an international society, now with over 350 members from across the globe. We aim to create a supportive and collaborative cell death community which boosts the professional development of junior researchers. Thank you to our sponsors and Pioneer board who have been indispensable in bringing this vision to life. Sign up and find out more information here!
Editorial Board
I am looking forward to shining a light on exciting new research through my recent appointment on the Editorial Board of Cell Death and Disease (IF 9). Check out more about CDD press, the latest breakthroughs and more here.
Stay tuned for more news and thank you for your support,
G.
