[2][3] Bates was educated at Kenilworth Grammar School and the University of Sheffield where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1979.
[1] She completed her postgraduate study at Birkbeck College, London where she was awarded a Master of Science degree in 1984 followed by St Mary's Hospital Medical School where she was awarded a PhD in 1987 for genetic mapping of the cystic fibrosis gene, working in the lab of Robert Williamson.
[7] Prior to joining UCL in 2016, Bates was the head of the Neurogenetics Research Group at King's College London.
[8] Bates has been elected a fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences (1999) and a member of the European Molecular Biology Organisation (2002).
[13] In August 2024, Bates was recipient of the Royal Society's prestigious Ferrier Medal, which recognised her work in understanding the molecular basis of Huntington's disease.