Dr Tara Hurst

Tara obtained a BSc in Biology from Bishop’s University, in Sherbrooke, Quebec in 1999. She subsequently undertook a research MSc degree in Microbiology and Immunology from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. After a gap year in Ireland, she entered Trinity College Dublin in 2004, studying for PhD in Biochemistry and Immunology by investigating the innate immune response to Vaccinia virus. Following completion of her PhD in 2008, Tara was an MRC research fellow at the University of St Andrews to study the interferon response to Hantaan virus. She later worked as a postdoc at the University of Oxford, studying endogenous retrovirus expression. Outside academia, Tara worked as a scientific project manager and research area lead in immuno-oncology at Abcam for one year.

In addition to research, Tara was a lecturer in cell and molecular biology at Nottingham Trent University for two years, gaining her post-graduate certificate in higher education (PGCHE) and fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (now AHE) during this time. She subsequently worked at Birmingham City University for four years as a lecturer and then senior lecturer. There, Tara delivered lectures on multiple topics across the biomedical science course and was module lead for third-year immunology, as well as teaching immunology on the MSc in Advanced Clinical Practice and lecturing on human papillomavirus for a cervical cancer training course.

Tara’s research interests are broadly in emerging viruses, high consequence pathogens, antiviral immunity, the innate immune response and the role (s) of viruses in cancers. In particular, she is interested in the roles of endogenous retrovirus elements in immunity, reproduction and cancer.

Tara delivers tutorials on protein biochemistry, metabolism and immunology for the MBiochem course.