Sarah Allinson has carried out cancer research at Lancaster University for a decade, having received a North West Cancer Research Fellowship in 2004. She began her career as a chemist, completing a PhD in nucleic acids chemistry at the University of Southampton before moving on to work on DNA repair at the Medical Research Council in Oxfordshire. Her research focuses on how cells respond to damage to their genetic material with a particular interest on the effects of ultraviolet radiation, the main cause of skin cancer. Sarah also lectures at the University on genetics and cancer biology and works with local charity North West Cancer Research on community outreach activities to raise awareness of issues related to cancer.