- Developing and implementing a government relations strategy by analysing best practices from other organisations, consulting with senior leaders, and aligning with Sanger’s mission. - Organises and leads government visits to the Institute by designing agendas, coordinating with internal stakeholders, and presenting key policy messages aligned with government priorities. - Prepares senior leaders for VIP visits and policy developments.- Supervised a junior staff member in crafting a policy consultation response.

- Designed, organised and led a stakeholder workshop to create an evidence base for integrating ethical decision-making into the development of a novel genomic technology. - Partnered with international scientists to strategically engage global policymakers, delivering the evidence base for a UN decision that harmonised the diverse interests of states and stakeholder groups.- Responded to consultations relating to engineering biology, pandemic preparedness and the STEM skills gap by conducting research, engaging stakeholders, and analysing collected evidence.

- Authored a report on equitable international genomics research, incorporating desk research, stakeholder interviews and workshops, and leveraged findings to drive internal change and external dialogue. Received “Stars for Science” award from senior leader. - Advocated for open and equitable international data sharing by engaging with UK government and UN fora through briefings and papers, and participation in expert groups and panel discussions.

- Performed research into molecular mechanisms of antibiotic action and antibiotic resistance.- Involved project organisation, time management and problem-solving skills to ensure completion of practical experimentation, computational analysis and manuscript preparation.- Analysed information from a variety of sources to aid experiment design and guide the direction of the project. Gathered and weighed up evidence from the scientific literature and experimental results, with conclusions conveyed through manuscript writing.- Communicated complicated scientific concepts to a wide range of audiences, including experts at international conferences, non-specialist scientists, and the lay public, adapting communication style to the appropriate level. - Side projects carried out in collaboration with scientists of different specialisms at other universities.- Helped build a scientific community at the university to share experiences between teams and support opportunities for development. Presented work at: Faculty of Biological Sciences Postgraduate Symposium, University of Leeds; CCP-EM Spring Symposium, University of Nottingham; Protein Synthesis and Translation Control EMBO conference, EMBL Heidelberg; Astbury research retreat, University of Leeds (1st place poster prize).Published work: Mohamad, M., Nicholson, D. et al. Sal-type ABC-F proteins: intrinsic and common mediators of pleuromutilin resistance by target protection in staphylococci, Nucleic Acids Research 50, 4, 2128-2142 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1093/nar/gkac058Nicholson, D. et al. Adaptation to genome decay in the structure of the smallest eukaryotic ribosome. Nat Commun 13, 591 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-28281-0Nicholson, D., Edwards, T.A., O'Neill, A.J. & Ranson, N.A. Structure of the 70S Ribosome from the Human Pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii in Complex with Clinically Relevant Antibiotics. Structure 28, 1087-1100 e3 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.str.2020.08.004

- Led a team of ten that organised social and networking events for scientists at the Astbury Centre.- Delegated tasks according to team member's strengths and preferences. - Carefully planned events to cater to a diverse community so all members felt comfortable to attend.- Worked with Leeds Children’s Charity to strengthen relationships with local businesses in order to fund charity events.

- Microbiology Practical Demonstrator for first-year undergraduates.- Taught basic practical skills to six undergraduate students, explaining best techniques, laboratory safety, and scientific theory at the appropriate level to maximise understanding.- Identified strengths and weaknesses of students and gave personalised feedback.

- Part of a team that designed and ran science stalls at public events.- Translated the complex concepts of science done at the University of Leeds into accessible formats for audiences with a broad range of scientific literacies, including young children, parents, and students.- Utilised a range of engagement techniques, including simple science experiments, interactive games and virtual reality.

- Student Representative of Wellcome Trust PhD course at the Astbury Centre.- Helped administer interviews for next year’s intake and described aspects of the course to prospective applicants.- Arranged Scientific Advisory Board meeting, where colleagues provided feedback on the programme.

- Worked with the Policy Team on a wide variety of UK and international projects. - Collated and weighed up evidence from internal and external policy reports and discussions with stakeholders to write a consultation response outlining key recommendations. - Helped arrange and facilitate two virtual international workshops by scoping for and inviting delegates, coordinating with Steering Committees and National Academies, and aiding workshop co-chairs.- Wrote a news article appropriate for a lay audience to accompany the release of a policy report, and communicated with the public via the Academy’s social media accounts.- Assisted write-up of a rapid response project, requiring precise short-term goal setting, clear sharing of responsibilities and joined-up teamwork.

- Led a team of six that organised a three-day event in which Leeds-based scientists presented their research to the public in a pub setting.- Delegated tasks suitably among team members, and liaised with other Team Leaders to ensure efficient distribution of workload between teams.- Chose and invited speakers, imparting guidance on the scientific level appropriate for a general audience. - Helped to write concise and clear abstracts for the talks to advertise the event.- Maintained regular contact with both the pub venue and science speakers throughout the planning stage, with clear outlining of objectives, expectations and time-frames for all parties.- Collated feedback and incorporated this into the planning of the following year’s event.

- Awarded place on Churchill Future Leaders Programme, a leadership course organised by the Møller Centre and Churchill College.

- Expression and purification of the proteasome-associated protein Ecm29.