Mhairi Morris

Mhairi ('Vari') Morris is a Senior Lecturer in Biochemistry at Loughborough University with a distinguished career in cancer biology research and academic leadership. She holds a BSc in Medical Biochemistry from the University of Glasgow (2004) and a PhD in tumour virology from the University of Birmingham (2009), where she studied the Epstein-Barr virus oncoprotein LMP1's role in cancer metastasis. After a career break, she joined De Montfort University as Lecturer (2013-2017), earning distinction in her Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education and DMU Teacher Fellow status before moving to Loughborough. Her current research focuses on modeling the obesogenic tumor microenvironment in breast cancer and exercise oncology interventions. Morris has received multiple accolades including the Eric Reid Methodology Award (2016, 2024) and was shortlisted for The Biochemical Society’s Teaching Excellence Award (2025). She serves on editorial boards for Pathogens and Frontiers in Physiology journals while maintaining an active profile in science communication through The Independent and The Conversation.