While working at UCL, Professor Stocks’ research focused on developing and validating methods of assessing lung function in infants and young children and elucidating the early determinants of lung growth and development. These included the impact of respiratory disease (e.g. Cystic Fibrosis, Asthma, Sickle Cell Disease & Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia) and the detrimental effects of factors such as preterm delivery, intrauterine growth retardation and maternal smoking on subsequent lung function.

Professor Stocks chaired the ERS Global Lung Function Initiative Task Force which developed the GLI-2012 multi-ethnic all-age spirometry reference equations to improve global interpretation of lung function from 3 to 95 years of age. These were endorsed by all the international and many national respiratory societies and were rapidly implemented into commercially available spirometers and clinical practice

She was a founder member of the ATS/ERS Task Force on infant and preschool lung function testing in the late 1980s and chaired the London Cystic Fibrosis Collaboration (LCFC) from its inception in 1998.  Professor Stocks was given Lifetime Achievement awards from the European Respiratory Society (2011) and the British Paediatric Respiratory Society (2014) and awarded honorary membership of the ERS in 2024.

After retirement in 2014, she was appointed Emeritus Professor of Respiratory Physiology at University College London. Having ensured that all the research projects she had been involved with were completed successfully, Professor Stocks has happily adapted to the wonderful opportunities that retirement offers and remains in contact with close friends and colleagues from former days.