Sophie completed a Bachelor of Science in Cell Pathology (Honours Class I) and Psychology at The University of Sydney in 2017. She completed her honours project at The Vascular Immunology Unit, where she examined how inflammation and microvesicles derived from brain endothelial cells contribute to the pathogenesis of cerebral malaria. Sophie has since worked as a Research Assistant at The Garvan Institute of Medical Research and as a Scientist at The Australian Red Cross Blood Service within the NSW Transplantation and Immunogenetics Laboratory. In 2019, Sophie joined NeuRA as a PhD candidate in the Preclinical Schizophrenia Research Laboratory led by Dr. Tertia Purves-Tyson, and in 2022, she was awarded the NeuRA PhD Pearl Scholar Award. Sophie’s research investigates the relationships between neuroinflammation, stress and dopamine dysregulation in schizophrenia, and how estrogen-based therapies may impact these. A key aspect of Sophie’s PhD work involves investigating whether alterations in microglial cell function underlie some of the beneficial effects of estrogen-based therapies observed in people with schizophrenia. It is Sophie’s hope that this fundamental knowledge represents a step forward in discovering new treatment options for people with schizophrenia, thereby improving the quality of life for those affected by severe mental illness.