[4] In 1990, Assender started her PhD in the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy[citation needed] and completed her thesis on "Magnetically induced microstructures in liquid crystalline polymers" in 1994.
[5][6][7] After two years as a post doctoral researcher,[4] in 1996 Assender moved to a lectureship in the Department of Materials at the University of Oxford[citation needed] where she focuses on thin films and coatings of polymer materials and onto polymer substrates.
During her time in Oxford, she has developed expertise in roll-to-roll[8] deposition, gas barriers, photovoltaics, and polymer electronics (including transistors and circuits).
[4] In 2001 Assender co-edited the book "Aerospace Materials" with Brian Cantor and Patrick Grant.
[10] She spoke at the 2015 University of Cambridge "Worshipful Company of Armourers and Brasiers Company forum", a highlight of the academic UK materials science calendar, to highlight roll-to-roll vacuum processing to create multi-layer polymer electronic thin films.