Meet our Researchers
The Psoriasis Association is committed to nurturing the next generation of psoriasis researchers by funding PhD Studentship grants. These early career researchers embark on a three-year research journey, culminating in the award of a doctoral degree. To achieve this, each student must make a meaningful and original contribution to the field of psoriasis research. We’re proud to introduce our newest cohort of PhD students below.
PhD Student: Kyle Diddams - Decoding inflammatory memory in psoriasis remission and recurrence to enable personalised medicine.
Institute: King’s College London. 
Supervisor: Dr Satveer Mahil
Kyle has recently started a PhD in Dr Satveer Mahil’s research group at King’s College London. Over the next three years, Kyle will investigate how the cellular and molecular mechanisms of inflammatory memory underpin psoriasis remission and recurrence following biologic withdrawal. The research will utilise single-cell multiomics and flow cytometry-based analyses of patient tissue to characterise relevant pathways, identify early predictors of recurrence and inform more personalised treatment strategies. Kyle previously achieved a first-class degree in Medical Sciences with a Professional Training Year at The University of Exeter and is excited to contribute to translational research that aims to reduce long-term treatment burdens for people living with psoriasis.
PhD Student: Tom Clemmet - Appraisal of the Cost-Effectiveness of Systemic Therapies for Psoriasis in the Era of Biosimilars.
Institute: University of Manchester
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Supervisor: Dr Zenas Yiu
Tom's research will evaluate the cost-effectiveness of systemic treatments for psoriasis, with a particular focus on the impact of new low-cost biosimilar drugs. Originally from Nottingham, Tom holds an MSc in Health Economics from the University of York and previously worked as a Health Economist in the pharmaceutical sector.
PhD Student: Tharanyah Ketheeswaran - Studying biological variation in the environmental sensor and novel psoriasis drug target Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor (AHR): expression, regulation and biomarker potential
Institute: King’s College London
Supervisor: Dr Paola Di Meglio
Hello, my name is Tharanyah Ketheeswaran, and I am delighted
to have recently started my PhD, which is generously funded by the Psoriasis
Association.
I hold a BSc (Hons) in Biomedical Sciences with a Professional Training Year from Cardiff University. During my placement year, I worked at Kymab-Sanofi in Cambridge, where I was involved in developing ex vivo co-culture models for inflammatory bowel disease. I am now pursuing my PhD at King’s College London, based at the St John’s Institute of Dermatology, under the supervision of Dr Paola Di Meglio and Professor Catherine Smith. My research aims to focus on investigating biological variation in aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) expression and regulation in psoriasis across different ethnic populations. I will also be exploring the potential of AHR expression as a biomarker for Tapinarof treatment.
I am very grateful to the Psoriasis Association for supporting this research and for the exciting opportunity to contribute to advancing our understanding of psoriasis through this project!