Leah Suchet is a PhD researcher in the Institute for Manufacturing at the University of Cambridge, working under the guidance of Professor Ronan Daly (Fluids in Advanced Manufacturing group) and Professor Ljiljana Fruk (BioNano Engineering group, Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology). Her research aims to accelerate and de-risk the development of new nanoparticles for drug delivery by combining numerical modelling with biomimetic flow testing to evaluate the effect of physiological flows on relevant parameters such as particle aggregation, diffusion and payload retention. In particular, there is a focus on understanding and simulating tissues of relevance to hard-to-treat cancers with view to improving nanoparticle-based delivery of therapeutics. 

Previously, Leah completed a BEng in Chemical Engineering at Stellenbosch University and an MSc in the Manufacture and Commercialisation of Stem Cell and Gene Therapy at University College London. During her MSc, she conducted research on the downstream purification of lentiviral vectors at Quell Therapeutics, after which she returned to South Africa to work in the RNA vaccine field as a bioprocess engineer at Afrigen Biologics & Vaccines.

Leah is a Fellow of the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation and is grateful to have been awarded scholarships from this Foundation as well the Skye Foundation, Oppenheimer Memorial Trust and Bradlow Foundation in pursuit of the abovementioned studies.