MENTEE – Kirsten McMahon

Upon completion of a BSc, with Class I Honours, from the University of Queensland (UQ) in 2014, Kirsten relocated to the UK where she gained employment at the Francis Crick Institute in London. Working as part of the Structural Biology Science and Technology Platform, she conducted X-Ray crystallography experiments and trained researchers in crystallography techniques. In 2017 Kirsten returned home to Australia and commenced a PhD at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience at UQ. Currently, in her second year, she is evaluating NMR and crystallography structures of animal toxins (e.g. spiders and conesnails) and characterising activity profiles to develop novel ion channel inhibitors. During her PhD, Kirsten has also been part of the Institute’s student committee SIMBA and was elected SIMBA president in 2018. She successfully attracted $5000 of funding and led a team of 11 students to host social and professional events for over 200 students in the UQ post graduate community.