Dr Gentle undertook her degree in Biology at the University of Nottingham, before studying Conservation Genetics at the Universtiy of Leicester. She undertook her D.Phil (PhD) at The University of Oxford's Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology on 'Fat load and social dominance in the great tit, Parus major'. She then worked as a Field Officer for the RSPB, a Biodiversity Information Officer for RECORD Biological Records Centre and a Research Assistant on a number of genetic studies. Dr Gentle joined Nottingham Trent University as a Lecturer, where she undertook a Post Graduate Certificate in Higher Education (PGCHE) and became a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA). She has won several awards for her Outstanding Teaching.