I did my undergraduate studies in Molecular Medicine at Sussex University and my Masters degree in Neuroscience at Kings College London. I am currently working in Prof. Franck Pichaud’s lab investigating the role of rap1/dizzy on Adherens Junction (AJ) remodelling during epithelial organogenesis. Epithelial cells are a highly abundant and conserved cell type, which give rise to a variety of organs. Epithelial tissue morphogenesis requires regulated cell shape changes and packing. These intertwined processes rely on regulated steps of AJ remodelling. Cadherin-catenin complexes assemble into AJs and are critical polarity landmarks that define the boundary between apical and basolateral domains and mediate cell-cell adhesion in epithelial cells. Although the organisation of other cell-cell junctions varies in metazoans, the AJ is largely conserved, highlighting its central role in epithelial cell biology. The fly retina is a sensory neuroepithelium and its development relies on the differentiation of several cell types, which is accompanied by a series of cell shape changes generated through discrete events of AJ remodeling. Using this model developing neuroepithelium, I have identified a central role for the small GTPase rap1 and its GEF PDZ-RhoGEF (dizzy) in regulating the stability of the photoreceptor’s AJs during retinal morphogenesis. My work indicates that during this process, Rap1 function can be linked to the endocytic pathway.