Linda is a physiologist by training, and her research has previously encompassed cardiac metabolism, particularly changes occurring during ischaemia; the role of fatty acids in ischaemia and diabetes; and cell signalling in a variety of different cell models. She is now working on a new area looking at ancient DNA and environmental change. After completing her undergraduate degree at the University of Witwatersrand, and her MSc and PhD in Cape Town, she undertook post-doctoral research at Oxford University and Imperial College. She has taught for a number of years at the University of Cambridge and Anglia Ruskin University, with extensive experience in teaching of physiology, biochemistry, cell and developmental biology, and genetics. She is an associate professor and Deputy Head of the School of Life Sciences in charge of student experience, curriculum development, learning and teaching, and apprenticeship delivery.