Bio

I have a broad academic background which encompasses computational modelling of immune function in lymph nodes, miRNA extraction from lymphatic vessels and musculoskeletal modelling. I am from the UK where I completed a PhD in Bioengineering at Imperial College London. Following my PhD I worked as a researcher in a gait analysis start-up company targeting pre and post orthopedic surgery patients, encompassing a broad range of roles from software adaptation and musculoskeletal modelling to website design. Outside of academia I am an avid runner, having represented my university at a national level. I am now focused on combining my skills and passions by developing online studies that interface with existing smartwatch platforms and allow participants to share and label their training data depending on the research question being asked.

Research Interests

My current research interests focus around using smartwatch data to :

1. Improve prediction of bone injuries based on based on biomechanically informed models. Existing overtraining and recovery models focus primarily on heart rate and mileage. We aim to additional information related to pace and cadence to assess whether we can improve personal prediction of stress fractures.
2. Quantify the impact of the menstrual cycle in endurance athletes. Demand for increased research and advice for female athletes has recently dramatically increased. To develop and test intervention efficacy it is necessary to quantify baseline changes. We are looking at a range of variables including heart rate for a given effort, hormonal contraceptive use and injury risk..

Degrees

Ph.D. in Bioengineering, Imperial College London, 2019
M.Res. in Bioengineering, Imperial College London, 2014
B.S. in Biological Sciences (Cell Physiology and Pharmacology), University of Leicester, 2013

Honors and Awards

The Alan Turing Institute Sep 2021 Data Study Group: Drive Approach Award.2021
Lymphatic Education Research Network (LE&RN) Best Scientific Early Stage Researcher Poster Award. Lymphatics Forum. 2017
LE&RN Travel Award: NIH conference ‘Lymphatics as Regulators in health and disease’. 2015
Athletics Sports Scholar on the Developing Excellence Scheme at Imperial College London 2016
British Universities Championships 10000m Silver Medallist.2015
1st Year Academic Scholarship at the University of Leicester. 2012
British U20 5000m England Athletics Gold Medallist. 2011

Representative Publications

Johnson S , Chakraborty S, Drosou A, Cunnea P, Tzovara D, Nixon K, Zawieja D C, Muthuchamy M,
Fotopoulou C and Moore JE Jr. Inflammatory state of lymphatic vessels and miRNA2 profiles associated
with relapse in ovarian cancer patients. 2020. PLOS ONE. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0230092

Johnson S, Frattolin J, Edgar LT, Jafarnejad M , Moore JE Jr. Lymph node swelling combined with
temporary effector T cell retention aids T cell response in a model of adaptive immunity.2021 Royal
Society Interface. doi/10.1098/rsif.2021.0464

Shou Y¹, Johnson SC¹, Quek YJ, Li X, Tay A. Integrative lymph node-mimicking models created with
biomaterials and computational tools to study the immune system. Mater Today Bio. 2022 Apr 21;14:100269.
doi: 10.1016/j.mtbio.2022.100269. PMID: 35514433; PMCID: PMC9062348