Lisa was born on 15^th December 1973 in Truro, Cornwall. The first-born daughter to Mum, Anita and Stepdad Neil, with younger sister Francesca shortly following. Lisa spent her early years living by the sea in St Austell and Plymouth, before moving to London for Dad Neil’s job. Her growing passion for science together with love of animals saw her undertake a BSc in Zoology at Royal Holloway University, from which she successfully graduated with a 2(i) in 1995.

On graduating, Lisa spent 2 years working in the NHS as a surgical perfusionist on the Liver Transplant Team of Kings College Hospital, London, before undertaking a PhD co-supervised by Prof Bill Holt at the Institute of Zoology at the Zoological Society of London (London Zoo) and Prof Paul Watson at the Royal Veterinary College. Lisa successfully defended her PhD thesis titled ‘An investigation into sources of variation and the genetic basis of boar spermatozoa survival following cryopreservation’ in 2000. She pursued postdoctoral work with Prof Tony Michael and Dr Robert Abayasekara, first based at UCL, then at the RVC.

In 2003 Lisa embarked on her lectureship at the RVC. In 2005, her excellence in reproductive research was recognised by the prestigious New Investigator Award from society for reproduction and fertility (SRF). In education, Lisa continued to excel, designing innovative teaching methods in reproductive physiology. She was highly respected by her students and colleagues, with outstanding student feedback. In recognition of her teaching excellence, Lisa was awarded the James Bee Student Choice Prize in 2004, 2006 and 2007. She went on to be awarded this student choice award many more times throughout her career at the RVC, a testament to her dedication to excellence in teaching practices, curriculum development and student support. With a reignited passion for research, in 2018, Lisa applied for and was awarded the SRF return to research scholarship grant for her extracellular vesicle work, conducted at Sheffield, and began collaborative studies with Dr Kim Jonas at KCL.  

Life was equally busy outside of work, with Lisa marrying her first husband Mark, and welcoming the birth of their 2 daughters, Madeline and Charlotte, who closely followed thereafter. Her dedication to motherhood and marriage separation led to Lisa shifting from research to education focussed. Lisa met her husband, Glyn Clarke, in 2008, an old teenage friend. Lisa and Glyn welcomed the birth of their son, William to complete their family, alongside a growing and evolving menagerie of animals including pigs, chickens, and dogs.

In late 2021, Lisa was diagnosed with breast cancer. Lisa continued to teach, despite being in active treatment. Such was her dedication to her students, her family recall her taking a call from a student that needed help, when she was in a hospital ward about to undergo surgery, typifying Lisa’s dedication to her students and their personal and professional learning journeys. She continued to teach and lead the Gateway to Veterinary Medicine program until she passed away on October 25^th, 2025.

Most people that know Lisa would say that their prevailing memories of her were her effervescence, cheeriness and lust for life. She embraced challenges and faced any adversity that life threw at her with aplomb. She will be missed by many and is a palpable loss to our reproductive community.

Ali Fouladi-Nashta (RVC), Kim Jonas (KCL)

If you would like to share memories of Lisa or leave a message of condolence for her family, please email alumni@rvc.ac.uk