Dr Fiona Cousins is a post-doctoral research scientist within the Women's Health Group, led by Professor Caroline Gargett, at Hudson Institute. Her current research projects are focused on the immunomodulation of the peritoneal environment in women with endometriosis and identifying new targets for endometriosis treatment.

After completing a Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Reproductive Biology in 2007 at The University of Edinburgh, Dr Cousins worked for bio-manufacturer Alba Bioscience (Quotient) before pursuing a Master of Science degree in Biomedical Sciences at Edinburgh Napier University in 2009.

From 2010-2014, Dr Cousins completed her PhD under the supervision of Professors Philippa Saunders and Hilary Critchley at The University of Edinburgh. Her project focused on delineating the mechanisms that contribute to the restoration of endometrial integrity following menstruation. During her PhD, Dr Cousins was also part of a group that developed an animal model for the study of endometriosis, closely mimicking the human disease. Dr Cousins undertook her first post-doctoral position with Professor Saunders from 2014-2015, exploring the inflammatory environment of the endometrium during post-menstrual repair.

In 2015, Dr Cousins was recruited to The Ritchie Centre under the supervision of Professor Caroline Gargett to continue her work on endometrial regeneration and endometriosis. Dr Cousins’ main research interests are in endometrial function and dysfunction and how the latter may contribute to endometrial pathologies including endometriosis, adenomyosis or heavy menstrual bleeding.

Women's health, endometrial disorders, endometriosis, endometrial cancer, heavy menstrual bleeding, endometrial repair mechanisms, immune cell function

I am currently offering projects on endometriosis pathogenesis and new therapeutics for endometriosis.

I also supervise students from our group who work on pelvic organ prolapse, using animal models and in vitro techniques.

I sit on many committees within the Hudson Institute including the Early Career Researchers committee, The Hudson Social Committee, The MHTP Microimaging Steering Group, The MHTP Histology Users Group. I am a fire warden and first aider for The Ritchie Centre.

I peer review for many journals including PlosONE, Human Reproduction, Molecular Human Reproduction, BMC Women's Health, Stem Cells and Development.