Our Editors
Helen Robinson,
Helen Robinson qualified as an occupational therapist at Brunel University in London and practised for almost 30 years in diverse settings ranging from central London to rural South Africa. She obtained a Master of Public Health degree from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa in 2011. She regularly applies critical assessment and reporting skills as a medicolegal expert witness in personal injury cases.
An associate of the Professional Editors’ Guild of South Africa, she is a highly versatile editor who edits clinical research reports, journal articles, medical textbooks and academic work across a wide range of subjects. Helen is particularly experienced in editing for authors whose first language is not English, and she values the opportunity that editing provides to contribute to the effective communication of new knowledge and its translation into public health policy and best practice.
Sarah Tomblin, MSc, MPhil
Sarah Tomblin is an experienced Life Science Editor with a demonstrated history of working in the medical publishing industry. Sarah obtained her first degree in Sport Science from Chichester University and went on to achieve an MSc (Distinction) from Cardiff University and an MPhil at Chichester, where she specialised in motor psychology, studying anticipation of the tennis service with implicit learning. Sarah’s core expertise lies in sport science and medical editing after working in the medical publishing industry for 18 years. Sarah now works as a freelance editor, specialising in drug delivery, cardiovascular and general medical editing, physiology, psychology and sport science.
Dr Shailesh Jain, PhD
Dr Shailesh Jain received his doctoral degree in Molecular Microbiology from the Ulster University, Northern Ireland. After pursuing postdoctoral research for a year at the University of Manchester, UK, Shailesh started his career in the publishing industry. He has published five academic research manuscripts for peer-reviewed journals and has presented at several prestigious conferences. He currently works as a part-time freelance scientific editor, with a focus on editing manuscripts written by authors whose first language is not English. His areas of specialization include Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Genomics, and Proteomics
Pauline Addis, MSc, PhD
Dr Pauline Addis loves science and good communication. She obtained her BSc (Hons) from Imperial in 2003 and her MSc from UWE in 2007, for which she was awarded the Dodson & Horrell trophy for top student. She then undertook her PhD at Newcastle University in equine biomechanics, investigating how the changing mechanical properties of tendon with age affect horse’s gait. The PhD led to several publications and presentations at international conferences, as well as a deep understanding of anatomy, physiology and how best to gain the co-operation of an excitable foal. After graduating in 2012, she stayed at Newcastle, switching from horses to humans, and is now involved in demonstrating the impact of medical research. She works with researchers in all areas, from fundamental biology to public health, via cancer research, genetics and neuroscience, and therefore has an enviably broad understanding of a whole range of medical research. Pauline is skilled in all aspects of science communication, from grant writing to the final publication. She continues to act as a peer reviewer for publications such as the Journal of Experimental Biology and greatly values clear, concise manuscripts.
Dr James Allen, PhD
Dr James Allen is an experienced biochemist who headed a research group in the Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, UK, from 2006–2011. His research spanned mitochondria, biophysics, enzymology, parasitology, microbiology, bioinorganic chemistry, bioenergetics, evolution, structural biology and cell biology. Dr Allen has published over 40 papers in international journals, most as a principal author, and has peer reviewed extensively. James took his first degree in Chemistry at Oxford then undertook a DPhil, also at Oxford, on the structure-function relationship of an intricate bacterial respiratory enzyme. He did postdoctoral work on cytochrome assembly in bacteria, before being awarded a BBSRC David Phillips Fellowship to investigate mitochondrial biogenesis in trypanosome parasites. Dr Allen’s technical expertise includes a wide range of biochemical, biophysical and genetic approaches, including bacterial and eukaryotic genetics and molecular biology; protein chemistry; protein purification; enzymology; enzyme kinetics (rapid reaction and steady state); absorption and other spectroscopies; protein-protein interaction methods; electrochemistry and bioinformatics.
Dr Dean Rea, BSc, PhD
Dr Dean Rea obtained a BSc in Biochemistry from the University of East Anglia. This included an intercalated year conducting synthetic organic chemistry research within the Medicinal Chemistry Department at GlaxoSmithKline, followed by a PhD in Structural Biology within the School of Life Sciences at the University of Warwick. His PhD focused on structure-function relationships in peptidase enzymes, and primarily involved protein crystallography, enzymology, and molecular biology. He has since studied the structure and function of peptidases, plant circadian clock proteins, microbial aromatic degradation enzymes, carotenoid dioxygenases, and microbial transcriptional repressors, during an ongoing research career spanning over 12 years. Dean has co-authored numerous research papers, many as first author, and now applies his broad knowledge of the Life Sciences to scientific editing and proofreading.
Dr Arshad Makhdum, MSc, PhD
Dr Arshad Makhdum obtained an undergraduate degree in chemistry from the University of Greenwich. He went on to earn an MSc and PhD in clinical pharmacology from University College London (UCL). Postdoctoral studies in allergic disease took him to the position of Senior Research Fellow at UCL. He was then recruited to the Scripps Institute in San Diego (CA, USA), where he focused on exercise-induced asthma. He also taught physicians and surgeons the basic science underpinning allergic disease at this elite research centre. Dr Makhdum then returned to the UK and started a career in academic publishing, reaching the position of Publisher at Elsevier (Oxford, UK). Dr Makhdum has been a STM editor and medical writer for 15 years. He specializes in editing content from authors whose first language is not English. Dr Makhdum also has considerable expertise in what is required for an article to be accepted in a particular journal. His areas of specialization are internal medicine, surgery, anaesthesia, allergic disease (particularly asthma), clinical pharmacology, physiology and anatomy, molecular biology and chemistry.
Dr Ashley Rivenbark, PhD
Dr. Ashley Rivenbark earned a B.S. in Biological Sciences with double minors in Genetics and Botany from North Carolina State University in Raleigh, and then earned a PhD in Toxicology at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine studying breast cancer epigenetics. After obtaining her PhD, she further completed a postdoctoral fellowship at UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center funded by the American Cancer Society that focused on epigenetic mechanisms of gene regulation.
She has achieved the Excellence in Science Award from the American Society for Investigative Pathology (ASIP) and has published >25 papers, reviews, and book chapters.
She is currently a Project Manager for Climate Finance Solutions, a Contract Grant Editor/Manager for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a Freelance Scientific Editor with deep experience in editing research papers, grant applications, and texts for scientists whose first language is not English.
Dr Karen Bysouth, PhD
Dr Karen Bysouth obtained her first degree in biochemistry from the University of Sheffield and a PhD in immunology from Cambridge University, following research into approaches to immunomodulation in type I insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Karen has gained over 20 years of experience working as a research scientist for a major pharmaceutical company, during which she was involved in research that led to a number of publications. Her areas of expertise include cellular and molecular immunology, molecular biology, cell biology, biochemistry, pharmacology, physiology, clinical assay development and validation, the pharmaceutical industry and the drug discovery and licensing process. Karen is an Associate of the Society for Editors and Proofreaders.
Helen Robinson,
Helen Robinson qualified as an occupational therapist at Brunel University in London and practised for almost 30 years in diverse settings ranging from central London to rural South Africa. She obtained a Master of Public Health degree from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa in 2011. She regularly applies critical assessment and reporting skills as a medicolegal expert witness in personal injury cases.
An associate of the Professional Editors’ Guild of South Africa, she is a highly versatile editor who edits clinical research reports, journal articles, medical textbooks and academic work across a wide range of subjects. Helen is particularly experienced in editing for authors whose first language is not English, and she values the opportunity that editing provides to contribute to the effective communication of new knowledge and its translation into public health policy and best practice.
Shalmali Karmarkar,
Shalmali Karmarkar (MSc, ELS) completed her Masters in Science (Life Sciences and Biotechnology) from Mumbai University, India. Since 2008, she has been editing academic and medical manuscripts for authors whose first language is not English. In 2015, she was certified as an Editor in Life Sciences by the Board of Editors in the Life Sciences (BELS), and she has been working as a full-time freelance editor since then.
Her areas of expertise include general medicine, obstetrics & gynaecology, pediatrics, physiology, nutrition, emergency medicine, and dermatology.
Sarah Tomblin, MSc, MPhil
Sarah Tomblin is an experienced Life Science Editor with a demonstrated history of working in the medical publishing industry. Sarah obtained her first degree in Sport Science from Chichester University and went on to achieve an MSc (Distinction) from Cardiff University and an MPhil at Chichester, where she specialised in motor psychology, studying anticipation of the tennis service with implicit learning. Sarah’s core expertise lies in sport science and medical editing after working in the medical publishing industry for 18 years. Sarah now works as a freelance editor, specialising in drug delivery, cardiovascular and general medical editing, physiology, psychology and sport science.
Dr Shailesh Jain, PhD
Dr Shailesh Jain received his doctoral degree in Molecular Microbiology from the Ulster University, Northern Ireland. After pursuing postdoctoral research for a year at the University of Manchester, UK, Shailesh started his career in the publishing industry. He has published five academic research manuscripts for peer-reviewed journals and has presented at several prestigious conferences. He currently works as a part-time freelance scientific editor, with a focus on editing manuscripts written by authors whose first language is not English. His areas of specialization include Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Genomics, and Proteomics
Pauline Addis, MSc, PhD
Dr Pauline Addis loves science and good communication. She obtained her BSc (Hons) from Imperial in 2003 and her MSc from UWE in 2007, for which she was awarded the Dodson & Horrell trophy for top student. She then undertook her PhD at Newcastle University in equine biomechanics, investigating how the changing mechanical properties of tendon with age affect horse’s gait. The PhD led to several publications and presentations at international conferences, as well as a deep understanding of anatomy, physiology and how best to gain the co-operation of an excitable foal. After graduating in 2012, she stayed at Newcastle, switching from horses to humans, and is now involved in demonstrating the impact of medical research. She works with researchers in all areas, from fundamental biology to public health, via cancer research, genetics and neuroscience, and therefore has an enviably broad understanding of a whole range of medical research. Pauline is skilled in all aspects of science communication, from grant writing to the final publication. She continues to act as a peer reviewer for publications such as the Journal of Experimental Biology and greatly values clear, concise manuscripts.
Dr James Allen, PhD
Dr James Allen is an experienced biochemist who headed a research group in the Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, UK, from 2006–2011. His research spanned mitochondria, biophysics, enzymology, parasitology, microbiology, bioinorganic chemistry, bioenergetics, evolution, structural biology and cell biology. Dr Allen has published over 40 papers in international journals, most as a principal author, and has peer reviewed extensively. James took his first degree in Chemistry at Oxford then undertook a DPhil, also at Oxford, on the structure-function relationship of an intricate bacterial respiratory enzyme. He did postdoctoral work on cytochrome assembly in bacteria, before being awarded a BBSRC David Phillips Fellowship to investigate mitochondrial biogenesis in trypanosome parasites. Dr Allen’s technical expertise includes a wide range of biochemical, biophysical and genetic approaches, including bacterial and eukaryotic genetics and molecular biology; protein chemistry; protein purification; enzymology; enzyme kinetics (rapid reaction and steady state); absorption and other spectroscopies; protein-protein interaction methods; electrochemistry and bioinformatics.
Dr Arshad Makhdum, MSc, PhD
Dr Arshad Makhdum obtained an undergraduate degree in chemistry from the University of Greenwich. He went on to earn an MSc and PhD in clinical pharmacology from University College London (UCL). Postdoctoral studies in allergic disease took him to the position of Senior Research Fellow at UCL. He was then recruited to the Scripps Institute in San Diego (CA, USA), where he focused on exercise-induced asthma. He also taught physicians and surgeons the basic science underpinning allergic disease at this elite research centre. Dr Makhdum then returned to the UK and started a career in academic publishing, reaching the position of Publisher at Elsevier (Oxford, UK). Dr Makhdum has been a STM editor and medical writer for 15 years. He specializes in editing content from authors whose first language is not English. Dr Makhdum also has considerable expertise in what is required for an article to be accepted in a particular journal. His areas of specialization are internal medicine, surgery, anaesthesia, allergic disease (particularly asthma), clinical pharmacology, physiology and anatomy, molecular biology and chemistry.
Dr Natalie Morris, First class degree, MSc
Dr Natalie Morris earned a first class degree in Physiological Sciences at Oxford University, and completed her medical studies as a Clinical Scholar at the same university. She has worked as a surgeon for 5 years in the National Health Service, and has qualified for Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons (England). This period included an honorary research fellowship to the Department of Paediatric Surgery in Melbourne, Australia. She has several publications as first author, written book chapters and has won two prizes for the best presentation at international conferences. She has edited over 2,000 medical and scientific manuscripts, and is an Associate of the Society for Editors and Proofreaders and the Council of Science Editors.
Dr Paz Etcheverry, MS, PhD
Dr Paz Etcheverry obtained her MS in Food Science and Nutrition from North Carolina State University and her PhD in Food Science and Technology from Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. When she was a postdoctoral associate at Baylor College of Medicine (Houston, TX), she focused her research efforts on mineral nutrition, especially on iron bioavailability as iron deficiency is the most prevalent micronutrient deficiency in the world. Paz has published in high-impact journals including the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the Journal of Nutrition, and the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, amongst others. She now focuses on teaching undergraduate- and graduate-level nutrition courses and enjoys being a freelance science editor and nutrition/medical writer. Her areas of expertise include food science, nutrition, public health, and biotechnology.
Dr Shalaka Talpade, MBBS
Dr Shalaka Talpade completed her MBBS from the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences. Her particular clinical interest was rural health. She has participated in medical camps and government health initiatives for gynaecologic and obstetric health, infectious disease management, malaria and dengue prevention, flood relief and various immunization programs, especially polio prevention. She has been editing full-time since 2007 and has edited well over 500 academic papers for peer-reviewed journals. In 2008, she was certified an Editor in the Life Sciences by the Board of Editors in the Life Sciences, USA. As an in-house editor, she quickly rose through the ranks and was soon reviewing the work of her junior colleagues, developing training materials for in-house and freelance editors, and making recruitment decisions. She is currently interested in medical writing.
Dr Ashley Rivenbark, PhD
Dr. Ashley Rivenbark earned a B.S. in Biological Sciences with double minors in Genetics and Botany from North Carolina State University in Raleigh, and then earned a PhD in Toxicology at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine studying breast cancer epigenetics. After obtaining her PhD, she further completed a postdoctoral fellowship at UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center funded by the American Cancer Society that focused on epigenetic mechanisms of gene regulation.
She has achieved the Excellence in Science Award from the American Society for Investigative Pathology (ASIP) and has published >25 papers, reviews, and book chapters.
She is currently a Project Manager for Climate Finance Solutions, a Contract Grant Editor/Manager for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a Freelance Scientific Editor with deep experience in editing research papers, grant applications, and texts for scientists whose first language is not English.
Dr Karen Bysouth, PhD
Dr Karen Bysouth obtained her first degree in biochemistry from the University of Sheffield and a PhD in immunology from Cambridge University, following research into approaches to immunomodulation in type I insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Karen has gained over 20 years of experience working as a research scientist for a major pharmaceutical company, during which she was involved in research that led to a number of publications. Her areas of expertise include cellular and molecular immunology, molecular biology, cell biology, biochemistry, pharmacology, physiology, clinical assay development and validation, the pharmaceutical industry and the drug discovery and licensing process. Karen is an Associate of the Society for Editors and Proofreaders.
Dr Arshad Makhdum, MSc, PhD
Dr Arshad Makhdum obtained an undergraduate degree in chemistry from the University of Greenwich. He went on to earn an MSc and PhD in clinical pharmacology from University College London (UCL). Postdoctoral studies in allergic disease took him to the position of Senior Research Fellow at UCL. He was then recruited to the Scripps Institute in San Diego (CA, USA), where he focused on exercise-induced asthma. He also taught physicians and surgeons the basic science underpinning allergic disease at this elite research centre. Dr Makhdum then returned to the UK and started a career in academic publishing, reaching the position of Publisher at Elsevier (Oxford, UK). Dr Makhdum has been a STM editor and medical writer for 15 years. He specializes in editing content from authors whose first language is not English. Dr Makhdum also has considerable expertise in what is required for an article to be accepted in a particular journal. His areas of specialization are internal medicine, surgery, anaesthesia, allergic disease (particularly asthma), clinical pharmacology, physiology and anatomy, molecular biology and chemistry.
Dr Radhika Desikan, PhD
Radhika has a PhD in plant science from University of the West of England, Bristol, and was an academic for several years. She taught plant science at undergraduate and postgraduate level. Her research interest was in understanding how plants tolerate abiotic and biotic stresses, and to investigate this at a cellular level. Her area of specialisation was plant cell signalling, in particular, free radicals. Radhika has published numerous papers during my research career, in this field. For a few years now, she has been editing academic papers in plant science for those whose native language is not English. Radhika enjoys the challenge of making plant science more readable and understandable, not just for plant scientists but non-academics too.
Anusha Hariharan Iyer, MSc, ELS
Anusha Hariharan Iyer completed her MSc from the University of Mumbai, India, where she worked on the genetic transformation of carrots. Since 2010, she has been working as an editor for authors whose first language is not English. In 2012, she received her certification from the Board of Editors in the Life Sciences (BELS). Her areas of expertise include agricultural science, botany, ecology, environmental toxicology, plant and animal biochemistry genetics, marine Biology, molecular biology, microbiology, taxonomy, and zoology.
Dr Dean Rea, BSc, PhD
Dr Dean Rea obtained a BSc in Biochemistry from the University of East Anglia. This included an intercalated year conducting synthetic organic chemistry research within the Medicinal Chemistry Department at GlaxoSmithKline, followed by a PhD in Structural Biology within the School of Life Sciences at the University of Warwick. His PhD focused on structure-function relationships in peptidase enzymes, and primarily involved protein crystallography, enzymology, and molecular biology. He has since studied the structure and function of peptidases, plant circadian clock proteins, microbial aromatic degradation enzymes, carotenoid dioxygenases, and microbial transcriptional repressors, during an ongoing research career spanning over 12 years. Dean has co-authored numerous research papers, many as first author, and now applies his broad knowledge of the Life Sciences to scientific editing and proofreading.
Dr Kevin J. Flannelly, PhD, MS
Dr Kevin J. Flannelly received his MS in Psychology from Rutgers University and his PhD in Psychology from the University of Hawaii. He has published over 150 peer-reviewed articles in 60 different journals in medicine, neuroscience, psychiatry, psychology, and other social science and healthcare fields. His published psychological studies include research on clinical, cognitive, comparative, developmental, and physiological psychology, and psychopharmacology. In addition to his original research, Dr Flannelly has published numerous systematic, theoretical, and methodological reviews of research in medicine, nursing, psychology, and related fields. He has served on the editorial board of various journals and has been a peer-reviewer for three dozen scientific journals during the past 40 years. He has been the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Health Care Chaplaincy (Routledge) since 2008, and he is currently a Senior Researcher at the Center for Psychosocial Research in Long Island, New York.