Thea graduated with a BSc Biochemistry degree from the University of York in 2017. During her degree, she completed an industrial placement at the Earlham Institute, investigating the role of microbiota on inflammatory bowel disease. After undertaking her final year undergraduate project on mesenchymal stromal cell fate decisions, Thea embarked on a 4-year PhD at KCL's Centre for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, starting with a 1-year MRes during which she rotated between three different labs before joining the Sancho Lab for the rest of her PhD. Her project focuses on the interaction between proendocrine factor Ngn3 and deubiquitinase Usp7, and the effect that disrupting this interaction has on Ngn3 stability and β-cell differentiation.