Her doctoral thesis was titled Controlled delivery of Chlorhexidine for the treatment of periodontal diseases at the University of Otago.
[1][2] After postdoctoral research at the University of Kansas, where she researched anti-cancer drugs, Hughes returned to New Zealand to join the faculty of the University of Otago, rising to full professor in 2022.
Hughes and her students have researched delivery of drugs to neonates, the use of ketamine for treatment-resistant anxiety, treatment for wound-healing in dentistry, and the formulation of a saliva replacement for dry-mouth conditions.
[7] Hughes's research on a new treatment for severe pain was awarded the University of Otago's 2017 translational research grant, allowing Hughes and collaborators Paul Glue and Ailsa McGregor to trial the treatment in human patients.
The award was made for a collaboration between Hughes, Lisa Kremer, David Reith, Roland Broadbent, Liza Edmonds, Frances McCaffrey and Mary–Jane Sime, on a controlled trial on drug administration to neonates.