I am a Lecturer in Neuroscience and Deputy Programme Director for the BSc Neuroscience undergraduate at UoM. My research background is in developmental programming of neurodevelopmental disorders: how does the prenatal and early life environment affect our risk for developing mental health conditions in later life? Specifically, I am interested in how early life inflammation affects brain development in the context of schizophrenia.

Following my undergraduate BSc in Biomedical Sciences (Neuroscience) at Cardiff University, I came to the University of Manchester for my PhD. My research focus was on understanding the role of the prenatal and postnatal maternal environments in modulating risk for neurodevelopmental disorders in offspring.

Working with an established maternal immune activation (MIA) model, I demonstrated the critical role of the prenetal maternal inflammatory response in predisposing offspring to a range of schizophrenia-relevant deficits in adulthood, including in cognitive flexibility and socialisation.

A key paper from my PhD used a cross-fostering design to explore this:

• Potter et al. 2025

I've also published reviews and articles on various topics, including:

• Offspring genetic effects on maternal care
• Developmental programming of tissue-resident macrophages
• The effects of stress on development

I currently teach across a range of undergraduate units relevant to neuroscience, pharmacology, and biology:

• BIOL10000 Tutorials
• BIOL20932 Pharmacology RSM
• BIOL21312 Drugs & the Brain
• BIOL21341 Sensory Systems
• UCIL20882 Current Topics in Biology
• Final year UG projects
• Academic advisor

I was awarded Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) in July 2019. I am currently interested in understanding the utility of novel assessment methods in undergraduate programmes and have recently published in Medical Teacher, exploring the use of very-short answer questions:

• Potter & McLachlan 2025

I am interested in exploring how new technologies, including AI, can support undergraduate neuroscience teaching in the context of the changing landscape of Higher Education.

Academic qualifications and positions: