Rate My Professor Cathy Thornton

Professor Cathy Thornton holds a Personal Chair in Human Immunology at Swansea University, formerly the University of Wales, Swansea, within the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Science. She serves as Head of Swansea University Medical School, Associate Dean for Research, Innovation and Impact in her faculty, and Designated Individual for the school's Human Tissue Authority Research Licence since 2016. Thornton earned a BSc (Hons) from the University of Tasmania and a PhD from Flinders University of South Australia. Following her doctorate, she held an NH&MRC CJ Martin Post-Doctoral Training Fellowship, conducting research at the University of Southampton and the University of Western Australia before joining Swansea University as a senior lecturer in 2003.

Thornton's research centers on immunological adaptation in pregnancy, placental biology, immunometabolism, and antenatal determinants of immune health in childhood. She leads the Swansea Immunology Research Group, investigating the placenta in health and adverse conditions such as gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, and cholestasis, with a focus on novel blood-based diagnostics and collaborations on medical devices like mechanical circulatory support systems. Her work addresses global challenges in maternal and neonatal health, including projects on heat exposure, air pollution, and endometriosis through consortia like MAGENTA and RESPIRE, funded by organizations including the Natural Environment Research Council, Wellcome Trust, and MS Society. Key publications include 'Immunometabolic adaptation in monocytes underpins functional changes during pregnancy' (Rees et al., iScience, 2024), 'Canagliflozin impairs T cell effector function via metabolic suppression in autoimmunity' (Jenkins et al., Cell Metabolism, 2023), 'Maternal body mass index is associated with an altered metabolic profile in pregnant women' (Rees et al., Clinical & Experimental Immunology, 2022), 'Label-Free Identification of White Blood Cells Using Machine Learning' (Nassar et al., Cytometry Part A, 2020), and 'The Inflammatory Response to Ventricular Assist Devices' (Radley et al., Frontiers in Immunology, 2018). Thornton represents Swansea University on the Life Sciences Research Network Wales boards and is a member of the International Inflammation Network.