Dr Samantha O’Loughlin is a population geneticist and stakeholder engagement support officer for Target Malaria at Imperial College London. In 2006, she took on a post-doctoral research position in a new and exciting research project aiming to develop novel genetic gene drive methods for controlling the mosquito vectors of malaria. This project has since grown to become the Target Malaria research consortium, where she works closely with molecular biologists and modellers in the team, bringing them her extensive experience of Anopheles mosquito genetics and bionomics. Samantha’s working activities have grown and evolved along with the project, and in 2019 she took on a role in the global stakeholder engagement team.
Samantha is a self-confessed perpetual student and has spent most of her adult life working and studying in academia. She has four degrees, including an MSc in Biodiversity and Conservation (University of Leeds) and a Doctorate in mosquito population genetics (University of Manchester).
