Dr Andrea Crampton

Biography

Andrea, rather self-deprecatingly, says she got into science because of "natural curiosity" and no creative 'talent', but she's certainly taken a creative path to where she now is. After completing her BSc in 1994 (working on the phylogeny, or evolutionary relationships, of cattle tick species for her Honours, which she scored a First), Andrea completed her PhD on the genetic basis of pesticide resistance in ticks in 1999, both at the University of Queensland in Brisbane. She then took up a postdoctoral position at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia. Whilst in the USA, she worked on a US Army funded project exploring the genetic basis of the Anopheles mosquito's immune response to plasmodium infection.

Research Interest

Having been a bench scientist and an education researcher I have develop an interest in the space in between, namely scientific literacy. This encompasses investigations into what scientific information people know/understand (or don't) and how does (or does not) that influence their actions. The information generated from this research is designed to inform those that are formally involved in public education (including health authorities and government bodies) as well as fellow scientist with the goal of improving the general accessibility of scientific knowledge and debates.