Gemma grew up in County Durham and moved to the Midlands in 2000 to study Mathematics at the University of Warwick. After her undergraduate degree she stayed at Warwick and joined the MOAC Doctoral Training Centre, where she completed an MSc and PhD in Mathematical Biology and Biophysical Chemistry. She then worked as a Post Doc at Warwick Medical School for 3 years. She moved to Aston University to work as a laboratory technician, before joining the Grainger lab as a research technician in 2016. Gemma moved back to the north east in 2020 and is currently Principle Science Technician at Nelson Thomlinson School in Cumbria.