Dr Hager Kowash
Research Associate

Overview
I completed my undergraduate degree in Medical Sciences from the University of Leeds in 2012 followed by a Masters in Reproductive and Developmental Biology from Imperial College London. My particular research interests include fetal programming, placental biology and the developmental origins of disease.My PhD project, completed in December 2019, investigated how stress during pregnancy eliciting a maternal immune activation response can lead to the propensity of offspring to develop neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) such as schizophrenia in later life. My project focussed on in utero responses, aiming to determine and understand the placenta’s response to maternal immune activation and its subsequent role and interaction with the developing fetal brain to investigate the potential mechanisms that underlie the development of NDDs in later life with a particular emphasis on placental and yolk sac amino acid transport systems. Currently, I am working on developing potential dietary therapeutic interventions to treat pregnancy complications such as fetal growth restriction in a mouse model as a post-doctoral research associate in the lab of Dr. Elizabeth Cottrell at the University of Manchester, based at the Maternal and Fetal Health Research Centre, St. Mary's Hospital.
External positions
Research Technician (Department of Cardiovascular Science), The University of Sheffield
2015 → 2016
Medical Research Assistant , College of Medicine and Health Sciences, UAE University
2014 → 2015
Areas of expertise
Biology, Medicine and Health (BMH) Domains
Education / academic qualifications
- 2013 - Master in Science, Reproductive and Developmental Biology (2012 - 2013)
- 2012 - Bachelor of Science, Medical Sciences, University of Leeds (2009 - 2012)
Related information
Publications
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Activities
Activity: Membership › Membership of professional association
Activity: Talk or presentation › Oral presentation
Prizes
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)