About
Dr Jane Cleal is an Associate Professor in Reproductive Cell Biology in Human Development and Health, Faculty of Medicine, at the University of Southampton.
‘My research investigates the molecular mechanisms that regulate the placenta and maternal tissues during pregnancy so as to translate the findings into interventions to improve pregnancy outcome, fetal growth and lifelong health.’
Dr Cleal leads an interdisciplinary research team integrating whole systems biology with cellular and molecular mechanisms in relation to fundamental developmental physiology, reproductive and pregnancy disorders. Her contributions to placental biology were recognised with the International Federation of Placenta Associations’ Andrée Gruslin Award in 2024.
Dr Cleal combines her research with leadership and teaching across undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. She is Year 0 Lead and Deputy Programme Lead for the BM6 widening participation programme in Medicine and supervises students from undergraduate to doctoral level.
She is committed to mentoring early career researchers at both university and national levels, including through her work with the BBSRC. She serves on BBSRC Committee E and has contributed to several BBSRC assessment panels.
Her outreach activities introduce both the public and school children to reproductive science and making healthy life choices.
Research
Research groups
Research interests
- Areas of Scientific Expertise:
- Reproductive Cell Biology – Fundamental mechanisms of cell biology in placenta and endometrium and the impact on the intra-uterine environment, fetal development and lifelong health. Regulation of Reproductive Cell Biology – Maternal exposures and molecular regulation of cellular gene expression, phenotype and function in placenta and endometrium and the clinical translation. Disease/phenotype – Fetal growth, Obesity, Cardiometabolic programming, Subfertility, Recurrent pregnancy loss. Cellular mechanisms – Membrane transport, endocytosis, vesicular transport & signalling, gene transcription, microRNA biology, epigenetic regulation. Vitamin D - Transport, regulation, metabolism and signalling.
Current research
2026-2027: Rosetrees Trust Seedcorn Grant 'Developing a Non-Invasive Uterine Liquid Biopsy to Assess Endometrial Health' (Cleal)
2023-2027: Wessex Medical Research/Rosetrees Trust PhD Studentship ‘Can endometrial gland structure and function help us understand why some women are more at risk of miscarriage than others?’ (Cleal, Lewis, Cheong)
2025-2026: Welcome Leap 'The missing vital sign 'REPAIR: Regeneration and Endometrial Phenotyping to Advance Individualised Respose to Heavy Menstrual Bleeding' (Cleal, Lewis, Cheong)
2023-2026: Rosetrees Trust Intermediate Project Grant ‘Endometrial gland structure and function and why some women are more at risk of miscarriage than others’ (Cleal, Lewis, Cheong)
2021-2025: BBSRC SoCoBio-DTP PhD Studentship ‘The role of endometrial gland derived extracellular vesicles in mediating an optimal uterine environment’ (Cleal, Lewis, Newbury (Sussex), Cheong)
2019-2023: Gerald Kerkut Trust & Vice Chancellors PhD Studentship ‘Mechanisms of placental vitamin D handling and programming of obesity’ (Cleal, Sethi, Lewis, Harvey)
Research projects
Active projects
Completed projects
Publications
Teaching
Year 0 Lead & Deputy Programme Lead: BM6 Faculty of Medicine
Module lead: MEDI0011 Human Structure & Function 1, Faculty of Medicine
Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
Cross faculty teaching programme: Taught and research-based components for undergraduate and postgraduate students studying Biomedical Sciences, Medicine and Genomics. Covering topics including, physiology, cell biology, genetics and epigenetics.
External roles and responsibilities
Biography
Dr Jane Cleal is an Associate Professor in Reproductive Cell Biology in Human Development and Health, Faculty of Medicine, at the University of Southampton.
Dr Cleal completed her PhD in 2005 with Professor Hanson and Dr Green at the University of Southampton and working at the Royal Veterinary College, London. She developed an ovine model showing for the first time that fetal nutrition determines ovine adult CV function and influences postnatal nutrient restriction response (Cleal et al., 2007 PNAS). Dr Cleal remained in Southampton, supported by a Fellowship. Her studies in humans have made significant progress in understanding how amino acids get out of the human placenta and into the fetal circulation. Dr Cleal was appointed as a lecturer in the FoM in 2010.
She now leads a research team integrating whole systems biology with cellular and molecular mechanisms in relation to fundamental developmental physiology, reproductive and pregnancy disorders (see Research pages) and collaborates with a number of national and international researchers.
Dr Cleal has an active role in professional societies and is a committee member on several panels including the BBSRC and International Workshop for Vitamin D. She is the Physiological Society Representative for the University of Southampton.
Dr Cleal’s interfaculty education roles span undergraduate and postgraduate programmes for the Faculties of Medicine and Environmental & Life Sciences and include Year 0 Lead & Deputy Programme lead for the BM6 widening access to medicine degree (see Teaching section). Her outreach activities introduce both the public and school children to reproductive science and making healthy life choices.
Qualifications
- (2013) Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
- (2013) PG Cert in Academic Practice, Education, University of Southampton
- (2005) PhD, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton
- (2001) Ist Class BSc (Hons), Molecular Cell Biology, University of Southampton
Prizes
- Andrée Gruslin Award (2024)