Rate My Professor Marina Paul

Dr. Marina Paul, also known as Marina Ilicic, serves as a Research Fellow in the Stroke Recovery Research Group, co-directed by Professors Michael Nilsson and Rohan Walker, within the School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing at the University of Newcastle, Australia. She earned her Bachelor of Biological Science, Bachelor of Biomedical Science (Honours), and Doctor of Philosophy in Medicine from the University of Newcastle. Her PhD research investigated culture-induced phenotypic changes in pregnant human uterine smooth muscle cells, demonstrating transitions to a pro-contractile state akin to labour and identifying culture conditions to preserve the non-labouring phenotype, thereby enhancing in vitro models for myometrial studies. Following her PhD, she served as Casual Research Coordinator before joining the Stroke Recovery Research Group as Research Fellow in 2018, transitioning her focus from reproductive medicine to neuroscience, where she investigates the effects of antiplatelet medication clopidogrel on post-stroke cognitive recovery, neurovascular unit integrity, and amyloid beta accumulation in aged mice following stroke.

In addition to research, Dr. Paul has taught HUBS2407 Experimental Design and Laboratory Skills in Medical Research as tutor and lecturer. Her expertise encompasses cell biology, medical biochemistry, memory and learning, microglia, molecular biology, myometrium, neurodegeneration, neuroscience, pregnancy, and reproductive medicine. Notable publications include "Clopidogrel Administration Impairs Neurovascular Unit Recovery and Exacerbates Amyloid Beta Accumulation in Aged Mice Post-Stroke" (2024), "Clopidogrel Administration Impairs Post-Stroke Learning and Memory Recovery in Mice" (2023), "20α-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Expression in the Human Myometrium at Term and Preterm Birth: Relationships to Fetal Sex and Maternal Body Mass Index" (2023), "Regulation of 20α-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Expression in Term Pregnant Human Myometrium Ex Vivo" (2024), "Preventing Preterm Birth: The Search for Tocolytic Synergism" (2025), and the chapter "Maintenance of Pregnancy and Parturition" (2025). Her contributions advance understanding of stroke recovery mechanisms and preterm birth prevention.