Amelia completed her PhD in respiratory medicine at the National, Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London. Her PhD work investigated inflammation in the lungs of patients with the chronic respiratory condition bronchiectasis helping to define causes of the disease. In her role as lead clinical scientist at the Royal Brompton Hospital Amelia developed a specialist interest in an inherited cause of bronchiectasis, Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD). She set up and led a nationally funded laboratory for the diagnosis of Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia from 2007-2017, a position she still holds part time.

Her translational research interests, brought new reliable and affordable tests for PCD with improved diagnostic sensitivity. These included the development of a clinically validated panel of immunofluorescent antibodies, development of 3D electron microscopy and in close collaboration with Dr Hannah Mitchison at University College London the identification of more than 10 of the genes now known to cause PCD. Amelia joined the Chalmers lab at the University of Dundee as a post-doctoral scientist in 2017 to conduct research into bronchiectasis.