Anna Nicolaou is Professor of Biological Chemistry at the Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences, The University of Manchester. Her research focuses on bioactive lipids and mass spectrometry-based lipidomics, with emphasis on the molecular mechanisms that mediate the role of eicosanoids, endocannabinoids, ceramides and related mediators in inflammation, immunity, cellular communications and tissue responses. Prof Nicolaou has a long standing interest in skin inflammation and the role of lipids in acute and chronic cutaneous disorders. The involvement of fatty acids and their metabolites in cancer, neuroinflammation, reproductive tissues and the cardiovascular system are also of interest, and this work has been supported by research councils, charities and industry.