Hurst joined the
University of Nottingham as a
postdoctoral researcher in 1985, obtained a
Science and Engineering Research Council (SERC) Postdoctoral Research Fellowship from 1986 to 1988, a SERC Advanced Fellowship from 1989 to 1984 and an
Agricultural and Food Research Council (AFRC)/
BBSRC Advanced Fellowship from 1994 to 1998. Hurst became interested in the signals that determine animal
mate choice. She found that female mice prefer to nest with their sisters, irrespective of whether they knew each other before. Specifically, female house mice prefer partners that share their own
major urinary protein genotype. She went on to find that this
pheromone was a
major urinary protein (MUP20), which she named
darcin after
Mr Darcy in
Jane Austen's novel
Pride and Prejudice. and has been involved with work that has identified a genetically determined circuit extending from the accessory
olfactory bulb to the posterior medial
amygdala mediating all behavioural responses to darcin. Hurst found that female mice are more attracted to male mice with their own territory. She edited volume 11 of Chemical Signals in Vertebrates that followed a conference of the same name in Chester, UK. For her work on scent communication, Hurst was awarded the Zoological Society of London Frink Medal in 2023. Her research is directed in part to the development of humane control of rodent pests. She also identified non-aversive handling methods that would reduce anxiety in mice, allowing them to be more reliable in laboratory tests. Hurst developed the use of mouse-friendly handling tunnels, reducing their anxiety and allowing them to explore more during animal testing. Hurst is also interested in how animals can detect scent-cues of ill-health and disease. She has supported the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research since its inception, including a founding member of the NC3Rs Board and grant funding panel (2004-2010). She has served on the Council for the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare (UFAW, 1996-2002), on the
Royal Society Use of Animals in Research committee (2004-2009) and the Ethical committee for ASAB (1991-1999, chair from 1995). Hurst has been involved with several studies to improve connections between researchers in the animal welfare community. Hurst discussed her
pheromone research on
In Our Time in 2019. In 2021 she was the guest on an episode of the
BBC Radio 4 programme,
The Life Scientific. == Awards and honours ==