Fern graduated with a Bachelor of Biomedicine at the University of Melbourne with first-class Honours upon completing her honours project in the HITRL laboratory at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. Fern subsequently undertook her PhD studies in the Godfrey laboratory, investigating the development and function of unconventional T-cells, in particular, NKT and MAIT cells. Fern was awarded her PhD in 2017, is continuing her research as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Godfrey laboratory, and is actively involved in scientific communication and outreach through the Day of Immunology programs. Her work currently extends upon innate-like T cell development, homeostasis, subsets and their functional diversity.