Charlotte in the jungles of Borneo

Teachers love hearing about what their students have been inspired to do and so it was great to catch up with alumna Charlotte and find out how her Physics lessons at Truro High have led to her carrying out ground-breaking research in the jungles of Borneo.

Charlotte took A Levels in Maths, Further Maths and Physics before going on to study an integrated Masters in Bioengineering at Imperial College London. She chose her course after being fascinated by lessons about using nature to solve medical and engineering problems. During her Masters, Charlotte’s research focused on the adhesive footpad secretions of stick insects which could one day inspire medical adhesives. Finding her niche in biological fluid mechanics, Charlotte’s now completing her doctorate degree at the University of Cambridge, researching the complex control mechanisms of sticky, insect-trapping fluids in carnivorous pitcher plants, and spending time out in the field in the jungles of Borneo to gather data.