Following studies in Germany in chemistry and pharmacy, Bettina graduated with a first class honours degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Greenwich, London. After graduating, Bettina worked as a molecular pharmacologist at Xenova Ltd, Slough, where she was involved in the pre-clinical evaluation of anti-cancer therapeutics, especially topoisomerase and angiogenesis inhibitors. Bettina then worked as a Research Assistant at Cardiff University, looking at retinal circadian rhythms in a transgenic rat model.

Since June 2003, Bettina has been working as a Research Associate at the Hugh Sinclair Unit of Human Nutrition at the University of Reading, coordinating a large-scale, multi-centre, human intervention trial looking at the biochemical and physiological responsiveness to low-dose fish oil intakes: impact of genotype, gender, age and geography (The FinGen Study). The findings were presented at the ISSFAL 2006 conference in Cairns, Australia. Currently, Bettina is in the process of completing her part-time PhD studies, looking at the 'Impact of dietary fat on risk factors of the metabolic syndrome'. After finishing her PhD, Bettina is hoping to continue working in a clinical research setting, either in a nutritional or a pharmacological area.