Dr Rachael Crew

My research focuses on how environmental and nutritional complications during a pregnancy, such as maternal obesity or gestational hypoxia, can lead to cardiometabolic disease in the offspring later in life. I’m particularly interested in how circadian rhythms contribute to the developmental origins of disease. The fetus relies on maternal and placental rhythmic biology to develop its own circadian rhythms in preparation for life outside the womb. If maternal circadian rhythms are disrupted, for example by shift work or high-fat diet consumption, this can impair fetal circadian development in key organs and systems, and potentially lead to obesity, cardiovascular disease, or neurodevelopmental complications in adulthood. I aim to explore how we might use chronobiological approaches to prevent this problem and improve the health of subsequent generations.