Dr Brown is an NHMRC (Australia) Career Development Fellow and Head of the Metabolism & Cancer laboratory at MIMR-PHI Institute of Medical Research, and an adjunct lecturer in the Department of Physiology at Monash University. Dr Brown has over 10 years experience in sex hormone biology, specialising in the study of the regulation of enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of sex hormones. Her research interests are aimed at elucidating the mechanisms whereby dysregulated metabolism leads to the increased risk of breast cancer. Her recent work identified the LKB1/AMPK pathway, central regulator of energy homeostasis, as a modulator of oestrogen production within the breast, thereby providing a molecular link between obesity and breast cancer. Dr. Brown’s current research interests include understanding metabolic signalling pathways which regulate oestrogen production in the breast adipose in the context of obesity and cancer, and to investigate potential therapeutics that target these pathways in the clinical setting.