Dr Andrea Vernall completed her Ph.D. at the University of Canterbury, then worked at the University of Queensland and University of Nottingham. In 2013, she started her own research group at the University of Otago, where she is now a Senior Lecturer. The Vernall research group focuses on the development of heterocyclic small molecules, peptidomimetics and fluorescent tools that target receptors in the human body. The motivation for developing new chemical tools is to better understand disease processes and cell signalling. In particular, we develop multi-functionalised chemical tools to study G protein-coupled receptors, for example adenosine and cannabinoid receptors.