Ms Caroline Wanjiku Mugo MSc, BSc (Hons)

• MSc in Biotechnology, Nottingham Trent University, 2023
• BSc in Biotechnology, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, 2021

Caroline Wanjiku Mugo is a Research Associate and PhD researcher at the University of Birmingham. She holds an MSc in Biotechnology from Nottingham Trent University, awarded with Distinction, and a BSc in Biotechnology from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, awarded with First-class honours. Her academic and professional background combines biotechnology, neuroscience, clinical research and data analysis.

Her doctoral research examines the biological mechanisms underlying migraine, with particular emphasis on sex differences Her work also explores the therapeutic potential of GLP-1 receptor agonists in modulating migraine-related neuronal responses.

Alongside her laboratory research, Caroline contributes to translational and clinical studies involving idiopathic intracranial hypertension. Her wider interests include bioinformatics, and the use of computational approaches to strengthen neuroscience research.

Migraine pathophysiology and sex differences

Caroline investigates sex-specific differences in neuronal activity and excitability in migraine-relevant regions of the brain, including the cortex, hypothalamus and trigeminovascular pathway. Her work examines cortical spreading depolarisation, a key electrophysiological event associated with migraine aura, and the contribution of CGRP to migraine-related neuronal responses.

GLP-1 receptor signalling and therapeutic mechanisms

Her current research evaluates whether GLP-1 receptor agonists can alter cortical spreading depolarisation, CGRP release, neuroinflammatory signalling and neuronal excitability. She combines electrophysiology, calcium imaging and molecular assays to investigate potential mechanisms and sex-dependent treatment effects.

Translational and clinical neuroscience

Caroline supports clinical and translational research involving idiopathic intracranial hypertension and neurological biofluids. Her experience includes sample collection, processing, storage and tracking, development of laboratory workflows, biomarker research and collaboration across laboratory and clinical teams.

Data analysis and bioinformatics

She is developing computational and bioinformatics skills for the analysis of complex neurophysiological and molecular datasets, including MATLAB-based analysis of multielectrode-array recordings. She is particularly interested in integrating experimental neuroscience with reproducible data analysis and cognition-focused research.