Clare received her undergraduate degree in Zoology from the University of Edinburgh (2000) before joining Moredun as a research assistant in parasitology.
Whilst in that role, Clare completed a Masters by Research (University of Edinburgh; 2003) on Cryptosporidium parvum in shellfish. She went on to gain a PhD (Trinity College Dublin; 2005) in research on Toxocara canis before taking up a postdoc position (Dublin City University; 2005-2008) working on liver fluke. Following this, she held a lecturing position at University College Dublin (2008-2012) teaching parasitology and immunology to veterinary students.
Clare joined Moredun in 2013 and managed a collaborative research project with Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine in St. Kitts (West Indies) investigating the epidemiology and genetic diversity of T. gondii in the Caribbean. This sparked her interest in pathogen virulence and has led to her current focus on the role of host and pathogen in characterising T. gondii virulence. Clare is also interested in food safety, particularly foodborne toxoplasmosis (she is a registered specialist with the FSA).
Clare is also part of EPIC, where her work focuses on Cryptosporidium spp. and how molecular profiling can inform on potential transmission routes of the parasite at farm-level.
ORCID profile: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2101-5194