Professor Lisa J Hill PhD FHEA

Image of Lisa Hill

Department of Biomedical Sciences
Professor of Translational Neuroscience
Affiliated with the Department of Inflammation and Ageing
Affiliated with the Department of Metabolism and Systems Science

Contact details

Telephone
+44 (0)121 414 6620
Email
l.j.hill@bham.ac.uk
Twitter
@Neuroscience_Dr
View my research portal
Address
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

Professor Lisa Hill is a Translational Neuroscientist in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Birmingham, where she serves as Pre-Clinical Lead of the Translational Brain Science Research Group. Her work bridges brain and eye health, integrating molecular discovery and experimental medicine to improve outcomes for patients with neurodegenerative and traumatic conditions.

Professor Hill completed her PhD at the University of Birmingham in 2015 before undertaking research placements at Queen’s University Belfast (UK), the University of California Irvine (USA), and the University of Melbourne (Australia). These experiences shaped her focus on neuroinflammation, extracellular matrix biology, and global collaboration to accelerate therapeutic innovation.

Her research investigates how inflammation and dysfunction of the extracellular matrix drive neurodegenerative and sight-threatening diseases, including glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI). She has developed and patented drug-delivery technologies that enhance treatments for neurological disease and led the discovery of novel immuno- and anti-scarring therapies that protect neural tissue and preserve vision.

Professor Hill is Deputy-CI and Biofluid Theme Lead for mTBI PREDICT, a major international study funded by the U.S. Department of Defense. Her team develops scalable fluid biomarker assays in biofluids to identify patients at risk of persistent symptoms following head injury, supporting earlier diagnosis and personalised recovery strategies. Her wider research includes large-scale experimental medicine programmes exploring how blast exposure, repetitive head impact, and environmental stress affect brain physiology and long-term neurological health.

Alongside her research, Professor Hill teaches across Biomedical Sciences (BSc, MSci) and supervises multiple PhD projects. She is deeply committed to mentoring the next generation of scientists and clinicians and advancing translational neuroscience for public benefit.

Qualifications

  • Member of the Royal Society of Biology (MRSB), 2020
  • Post-graduate Certificate in Higher Education, 2020
  • PhD in Medicine, 2015
  • BMedSc Neuroscience, 2010

Teaching

Postgraduate supervision

Professor Hill supervises Masters and PhD students in projects relating to:

  • Brain injury
  • Degenerative diseases of the eye (AMD, Glaucoma)
  • Technologies to enhance drug delivery into the CNS

If interested in undertaking research in Lisa’s laboratory, please contact her on l.j.hill@bham.ac.uk

Research

Research Interests

  • Identifying novel biomarkers for neurological diseases
  •  Developing in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo models of neurodegenerative disease
  •  Understanding extracellular matrix dynamics in the healthy and diseased eye
  •  Developing new therapies for ocular disease
  •  Developing methods to deliver drugs into the eye

Current Projects

  •  Developing anti-fibrotic and neuroprotective treatments for neurodegenerative disease (glaucoma)
  •  Investigating mechanisms of extracellular matrix dysfunctions in glaucoma
  •  Development of Immunotherapies for Age-related Macular Degeneration
  •  Identifying novel fluid and hormone biomarkers after brain injury

Related Research

For additional information on research and publications please visit Lisa's Google Scholar Profile and Research Gate Profile.

Other activities

Awards:

  • Fellow of the Higher Education Authority 2020
  • Institute of Clinical Sciences Director’s Award 2019
  • IChemE Global Awards Finalist for Biotechnology 2017
  • House of Commons “SETforBRITAIN” finalist, Westminster UK 2016
  • Members-In-Training Outstanding Award,  ARVO, USA 2012

Citizen/Patient Engagement and Outreach

  • Current ‘Access to Birmingham’ Lead Tutor for widening participation
  • Research featured in Fight for Sight funding campaign 2019
  • Regular presenter at Macular Society patient groups
  • Current student/post-graduate mentor.

Publications

Recent publications

Article

Hewitt, BJ, Roberts, L, Roberts, JA, Fulton, D, Hill, LJ, Kitchen, P, Bill, RM & Botfield, HF 2026, 'Adult organotypic brain slice cultures recapitulate extracellular matrix remodeling in hemorrhagic stroke', Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience, vol. 19, 1722240. https://doi.org/10.3389/fncel.2025.1722240

Ruwan Wanni Arachchige, P, Gao, Y, Idrees, I, Fildes, J, Finch, A, Hawa, W, Craig, M, Brookes, MJ, Hill, LJ, Lucas, SJE, Mitchell, JL, Sinclair, AJ, Novak, J, Bagshaw, AP, Wilson, M, Fernandez-Espejo, D, Mullinger, KJ & UK mTBI Predict Consortium 2026, 'Assessing optimisation of 3T MRI protocol across multi-site, multi-vendor settings for studying mild Traumatic Brain Injury: mTBI Predict Consortium study', Aperture Neuro.

Roberts, JA, Batie, M, Ponsford, AH, Poh, J, Hewitt, BJ, Botfield, HF, Hill, LJ, Sanderson, CM, Rocha, S & Sharma, P 2026, 'NRF2 upregulation by CDDO-Me protects AC16 human cardiomyocytes against doxorubicin-induced toxicity', Biomedicine and Pharmacotherapy, vol. 194, 118878. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopha.2025.118878

Lange, MG, Vickers, A, Hill, LJ, Mollan, SP, Mitchell, J, Sinclair, AJ & Lee, AG 2026, 'Pro-Con: Antiobesity Drugs Such as Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists Should Be a First-Line Treatment in Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension', Journal of Neuro-Ophthalmology, vol. 46, no. 1, pp. 117-127. https://doi.org/10.1097/WNO.0000000000002431

Grech, O, Mugo, W, Hill, LJ, Heaselgrave, SR, Alimajstorovic, Z, Yiangou, A, Lyons, HS, Mitchell, J, Lavery, GG, Fulton, D & Sinclair, AJ 2026, 'The metabolic consequences of evoked spreading depolarization in brain slices', Scientific Reports. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-37175-w

Cox, K, Shi, C, Read, N, Patel, MT, Ou, K, Liu, Z, Wu, J, Cendananawati, S, Le Brun Powewll, J, Goldberg Oppenheimer, P, Hill, LJ, Nicholson, L, Dick, AD & Liu, J 2025, 'Age-Associated Decline in Autophagy Pathways in the Retinal Pigment Epithelium and Protective Effects of Topical Trehalose in Light-Induced Outer Retinal Degeneration in Mice', Aging Cell. https://doi.org/10.1111/acel.70081

Lyons, HS, Sassani, M, Brunger, H, Lake, A, Jefferies, B, Thaller, M, Yiangou, A, Homer, V, Dharm-Datta, S, Ellis, H, Matharu, M, Hill, LJ, Mitchell, JL & Sinclair, AJ 2025, 'Introduction of a classification interview for post-traumatic headache after concussion', Journal of Headache and Pain, vol. 26, no. 1, 206. https://doi.org/10.1186/s10194-025-02149-2

Roberts, PA, Thomas, CN, Bellamy Plaice, G, Roberts, JA, Jones, M-C, Andrews, JW & Hill, LJ 2025, 'Mathematical Models of Topically and Intravitreally Applied Ranibizumab', Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science (IOVS), vol. 66, no. 11, 45. https://doi.org/10.1167/iovs.66.11.45

Abstract

Hill, L, Begum, G, Hubbard, J, Mugo, C, Botfield, H, Lyons, H, Thaller, M, Yiangou, A, Grech, O, Mitchell, J, Mollan, S & Sinclair, A 2025, 'Identifying candidate molecular biomarkers in idiopathic intracranial hypertension patients (P7-2.008)', Neurology, vol. 104, no. 7 Supplement 1, 4448. https://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000211678

Preprint

Hewitt, BJ, Roberts, L, Roberts, JA, Fulton, D, Hill, L, Kitchen, P, Bill, RM & Botfield, H 2025 'Adult organotypic brain slice cultures recapitulate extracellular matrix remodelling in haemorrhagic stroke' bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.07.15.665021

Roberts, JA, Batie, M, Ponsford, AH, Poh, J, Hewitt, BJ, Botfield, HF, Hill, LJ, Sanderson, CM, Rocha, S & Sharma, P 2025 'NRF2 upregulation by CDDO-Me protects AC16 human cardiomyocytes against doxorubicin-induced toxicity.' bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.09.10.675420

Review article

Lyons, HS, Hubbard, JC, Thomas, CN, Roberts, JA, Mugo, CW, Bellamy Plaice, G, Grech, O, Prosser, S, Strom, A, Lucas, SJE, Downie, LE, Gill, JM, Mitchell, JL, Sinclair, AJ, Hill, LJ & UK mTBI Predict Consortium 2026, 'Biofluid-based predictors of post-concussion symptoms: a narrative review of mild traumatic brain injury biomarkers', Brain Communications, vol. 8, no. 1, fcaf501. https://doi.org/10.1093/braincomms/fcaf501

Anwar, F, Grech, O, Mugo, CW, Roberts, JA, Hubbard, JC, Thomas, CN, Sinclair, AJ & Hill, LJ 2025, 'A systematic review of the causes and consequences of spreading depolarization in neuroinflammation; implications for neurovascular disorders', Journal of Neuroinflammation, vol. 22, no. 1, 178. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12974-025-03503-6

Hewitt, BJ, Ali, M, Hubbard, J, Hill, LJ & Botfield, H 2025, 'A Systematic Review of the Differential Effects of TGF-β1 in Ischemic and Hemorrhagic Preclinical Stroke Models', Journal of the American Heart Association, vol. 14, no. 14, e037890. https://doi.org/10.1161/JAHA.124.037890

UK mTBI Predict Consortium, Sassani, M, Ghafari, T, Arachchige, PRW, Idrees, I, Gao, Y, Waitt, A, Weaver, SRC, Mazaheri, A, Lyons, HS, Grech, O, Thaller, M, Witton, C, Bagshaw, AP, Wilson, M, Park, H, Brookes, M, Novak, J, Mollan, SP, Hill, LJ, Lucas, SJE, Mitchell, JL, Sinclair, AJ, Mullinger, K & Fernandez-Espejo, D 2025, 'Current and prospective roles of magnetic resonance imaging in mild traumatic brain injury', Brain Communications. https://doi.org/10.1093/braincomms/fcaf120

View all publications in research portal