After completing degrees in Chemistry and Biological Sciences in 2008, Rachel undertook her PhD studies in the group of Prof. Dr. Chang-Chun Ling at the University of Calgary (Canada). Her studies were focused on developing idopyranoside chemistry for application in a vaccine against Campylobacter jejuni, and developing inhibitors of Clostridium difficile toxins TcdA and TcdB. In November 2013, Rachel joined the group of Prof. Dr. Beat Ernst at the University of Basel as a postdoctoral researcher, leading a new project to help elucidate the role of siglecs in diabetes and also contributing to the ongoing bacterial adhesin FimH project. In January 2015 she was promoted to a Research Associate, and since January 2017 has been working with Prof. Dr. Daniel Ricklin on therapeutic modulation of the complement immune pathway, primarily on the development of glycomimetic lectin inhibitors and the characterization of sialic acid interactions involved in complement regulation.

In 2019, Rachel was selected by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) for their Periodic Table of Younger Chemists, highlighting leaders in chemistry under ago 40. Rachel also leads projects on glycan-mediated attenuation of pathogen virulence and the development of therapeutic glycopolymers to facilitate blood group-incompatible transplantation, and is grateful to both the Swiss National Science Foundation and Innosuisse for generous independent project funding.