Dr Elizabeth Burns is not only a postdoctoral research scientist, but also an accomplished artist. Lizzie draws inspiration from the world of molecular and cellular biology to create striking images that both please the eye and bring to life the invisible and dynamic processes fundamental to life. Lizzie has been fascinated by biology and art since childhood. She found time during a PhD and postdoc in cancer research at Oxford University Department of Biochemistry to combine her interests, producing paintings inspired by sub-cellular biology.

"Applying my scientific knowledge and painting to reveal the beauty and complexity of life has been personally very rewarding," she says. Lizzie’s paintings have featured on the covers of scientific journals and books, and she has also exhibited photography, and written a play - Autodestruct - about cancer, cloning and the ethics of human experimentation which was performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Lizzie's latest project, Medical Research Revealed, is an exhibition of paintings, photographs, and interviews with researchers, and was inspired by MRC's mission statement "to promote public engagement with medical research".

Her aim is to bridge what she sees as a widening gap between scientists and non-scientists. She hopes her exhibition will depict the beauty of MRC funded biomedical research, provide an insight into how science is done, and reveal what motivates the personalities behind the science.

She will spend a year visiting MRC scientists throughout the UK, and immersing herself in their latest work to gather material and ideas for the exhibition.