Research Career Development Fellows
This scheme provides an opportunity for postdoctoral scientists from across the remits of the Trust’s funding streams to become independent research scientists and undertake high-quality research.
2011
Dr A Jeyaprakash Arulanandam, University of Edinburgh
Structural basis for accurate chromosome segregation
Cell division is a fundamental molecular process of life that ensures accurate transfer of genetic information through generations. Errors in cell division often result in daughter cells with inappropriate numbers of chromosomes, a condition associated with cancers and Down’s syndrome. Therefore, understanding the molecular mechanisms of cell division is crucial in fighting health-related disorders. Jeyaprakash’s team studies the molecular mechanisms of accurate cell division by characterising key regulators (multi-subunit protein complexes) of cell division, using an interdisciplinary approach combining structural, biochemical and cell biological methods.
Dr Chris Barnes, University College London
A statistical approach to the understanding of mutation processes in the human genome and their impact on evolution, health and disease
The main themes of Chris’s research are the use of mathematical modelling and statistical methods to gain insights into biological processes and their relation to disease. During the Fellowship he will develop dynamic models of mutational processes in the genome and investigate regions that are susceptible to repeated sporadic mutation.
Dr Tristan A Bekinschtein, Medical Research Council
Cognitive processing in states of consciousness and its transitions
Tristan is interested in cognition and neurophysiology. Currently he is primarily looking at how we lose consciousness and how we get it back. Mainly his laboratory is attacking the limits of different cognitive domains such as memory, attention, language and awareness, in the process of falling asleep or being sedated. The team is measuring behaviour, muscle activity and brain activity (electroencephalography, functional MRI, intracranial electrodes), and stimulating the brain directly through transcranial magnetic stimulation and transcranial direct current, to respond to the main questions at the intersection between awareness and wakefulness.
Dr Amy Buck, University of Edinburgh
Tipping the balance: pathogen manipulation of microRNA regulatory pathways
Host-pathogen interactions form the basis for numerous therapeutic, vaccine and diagnostic strategies in infectious disease. Amy is interested in the role of small RNAs in these interactions. Research in her laboratory focuses on the mechanisms by which viruses and parasitic worms use the microRNA pathway to manipulate their hosts. The long-term goal is to understand how microRNAs influence host-pathogen co-evolution and to use RNA detection and manipulation to better diagnose and treat infectious diseases.
Dr David K Cole, Cardiff University
The molecular rules that govern CD4+ T-helper cell recognition of peptide-MHCII
David’s laboratory is a member of the T-cell modulation group. He aims to understand how T cells respond to infections and to design new strategies for producing artificial T cells to target and eliminate cancer cells and germs that cause disease.
Dr Mark Dodding, King’s College London
Coupling the molecular motor kinesin-1 to new cargo, functions and diseases
The sorting and transport of intracellular components is of central importance to all forms of life. Long-range intracellular transport within cells is mediated by the dynein and kinesin family of molecular motors using the microtubule cytoskeleton as scaffolding. These molecules move along the microtubules and carry cargo components to their destination. Mark’s research focuses on how motors associate with their cargo. He aims to understand the molecular features of cargo proteins that allow them to interact with particular molecular motors. This will allow us to better understand the link between intracellular transport and pathological processes, and may open up new therapeutic approaches to treat a range of human diseases.
Dr Panagis Filippakopoulos, University of Oxford
Structural role of BET bromodomains in transcription
Panagis’s research interests focus on structural comparisons of entire protein families and the discovery of shared and distinct mechanisms that determine substrate recognition and protein regulation, as well as the structure-guided design of specific inhibitors that modulate the function of proteins involved in epigenetic signalling. His laboratory has a particular focus on the structural and functional role of bromo and extra terminal (BET) proteins in transcription initiation and the implications of their dysfunctional behaviour in disease.
Dr Jennifer L Gallop, University of Cambridge
Molecular mechanisms of filopodia formation
Jennifer’s research aims to understand the molecular basis of how the actin cytoskeleton and cell membranes are manipulated when cells change their shape. These processes are a vital underpinning of normal morphogenesis, neuronal pathfinding, cancer metastasis and pathogen infectivity.
Dr Tracey Gloster, University of St Andrews
Understanding degradation of heparan sulphate with implications for disease
Tracey is interested in the structure and function of eukaryotic carbohydrate processing enzymes. Currently she is investigating the enzymes responsible for the degradation of heparan sulphate, a component of the extracellular matrix. Using a combination of approaches, including molecular biology, protein production, X-ray crystallography, enzyme kinetics and cell culture, she aims to gain a greater understanding of these enzymes from a mechanistic and structural perspective.
Dr Katie Hampson, University of Glasgow
Hierarchical epidemiology: the spread and persistence of infectious diseases in complex landscapes
Katie is interested in the ecology of infectious diseases, particularly rabies, with the aim of understanding infection dynamics across spatial scales and the impacts of control efforts. She uses a combination of detailed field investigations, vaccination interventions and modelling. Her main areas of research include transmission dynamics, vaccination strategy and surveillance design, and impacts of population structure, demography and geography on spatiotemporal dynamics.
Dr Shane P Herbert, University of Manchester
Transcriptional control of endothelial tip cell behaviour and new blood vessel sprouting
Sprouting of new capillaries from pre-existing vessels (angiogenesis) promotes the formation of almost all blood vessels during development, growth and tissue regeneration. Shane’s research, by studying vascular development in zebrafish embryos, aims to decipher the complex molecular and cellular mechanisms that regulate angiogenic sprouting.
Dr Sonja Hofer, University College London
Cellular and synaptic mechanisms of learning in cortical circuits
Sonja’s research seeks to understand how learning and experience change neuronal circuits and how this contributes to the way the brain functions. She uses advanced imaging techniques to follow the function and structure of individual neurons and their synapses in the intact brain, in order to study what modifications in specific brain circuits underlie plasticity and learning.
Dr Grzegorz Kudla, University of Edinburgh
Functional consequences of synonymous mutations in eukaryotic cells
Grzegorz is particularly interested in synonymous mutations, which do not change protein sequence but can influence mRNA and protein levels. His goal is to understand the role of such mutations in eukaryotic cells. To achieve this, he constructs combinatorial libraries of mutated genes, and measures gene expression and function using high-throughput assays. He also develops new methods to study the roles of protein-RNA and RNA-RNA interactions in gene regulation.
Dr Harry Low, Imperial College London
Structural characterisation of eukaryotic and bacterial dynamins, and in complex with dynamin-associated proteins
In order to overcome the formidable challenge of remodelling membranes within the cell, the dynamin family of proteins has evolved to provide the mechanical power to cut and fuse lipid bilayers. Membrane manipulation is fundamental in core cellular processes such as cell division, cell trafficking, plastid maintenance and anti-viral response. Harry aims to understand at a molecular level not just how dynamins work, but also how its many binding partners recruit and regulate, whilst providing functional specificity in distinct cellular localisations. Dynamins are found in both eukaryotic and bacterial cells and Harry’s research therefore has implications in diseases such as cancer and bacterial infection.
Dr Fiona McGillicuddy, University College Dublin
Functional consequences of obesity-induced adipose tissue inflammation on high-density lipoprotein acceptor capacity and reverse cholesterol transport
Fiona investigates the links between obesity, ‘good cholesterol’, diet and coronary artery disease. Her research project examines how obesity affects the function of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), sometimes referred to as ‘good cholesterol’. HDL plays an important role in removing cholesterol from the body, which in turn reduces the risk of heart attack brought on by cardiovascular disease.
Dr Serge Mostowy, Imperial College London
Controlling the intracellular fate of cytosolic pathogens
Serge studies how host cells control infection by cytosolic host responses, including autophagy and cytoskeleton reorganisation. Using bacterial infection, his research is currently focused on identifying and characterising host and pathogen determinants underlying the intracellular fate of cytosolic bacteria, and investigating the role of discovered molecules and mechanisms in vivo using zebrafish models of bacterial infection. Completion of these objectives may suggest the development of new therapeutic strategies aimed at bacterial infection, and possibly other disease states that also implicate cytosolic host responses.
Dr Gisela Orozco, University of Manchester
Linking genotype to phenotype for the rheumatoid arthritis susceptibility locus 6q23: beyond genome-wide association studies
Gisela works at the Arthritis Research UK Epidemiology Unit in the Centre for Musculoskeletal Research. She researches the genetics of rheumatoid arthritis.
Dr Richard Poole, University College London
The specification of left-right symmetry in the nervous system
Dr Arturo Reyes-Sandoval, University of Oxford
Development of a novel vaccine against Plasmodium vivax malaria using adenovirus of chimpanzee origin and modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA) as recombinant viral vectors
Arturo’s research focuses on the development of viral-vectored vaccines against neglected diseases, particularly Plasmodium vivax malaria. Recombinant adenoviruses and MVA are used to induce protective immune responses to target the parasite’s pre-erythrocytic stage and potentially the hypnozoite. Other tools that are being developed to assess vaccine efficacy are transgenic malaria parasites expressing P. vivax transgenes. His research also seeks to understand how the quality, phenotype and functionality of T cells contribute to protect against malaria, with the aim of finding new correlates of protection and optimising vaccination. The techniques that he commonly uses to address these scientific questions are multi-parameter flow cytometry, cell sorting by FACS, ELISpot, in vivo imaging and gene expression microarrays, and cell transfer to recipient hosts.
Dr Neil W Roach, University of Nottingham
Sensory prediction: the role of forward modelling in visual information processing
Neil’s research investigates the mechanisms underlying visual perception and attempts to bridge the gap between psychophysical and neurophysiological levels of analysis. His current focus is on understanding how the human visual system exploits statistical regularities introduced by image motion to construct predictions about future patterns of sensory input. His research aims to characterise the properties and limits of this predictive mechanism and determine its role in visual processing.
Dr Tali Sharot, University College London
Mechanisms underlying optimistic biases in the human brain and their breakdown in disease
Tali leads the Affective Brain Laboratory, investigating how affect (the experience of emotion) influences human cognition and behaviour in normal brain function and in affective disorders (such as depression and anxiety). To tackle these questions she uses brain imaging (fMRI), transcranial magnetic stimulation, pharmacological manipulations, neuropsychiatric methods, computational models, genetics techniques and behavioural experiments. Her aim is to offer new insight into brain function in both health and disease
Dr Rebeccah Slater, University of Oxford
Imaging pain in the developing human brain
Rebeccah leads the Paediatric and Infant Pain and Anaesthesia (PiPA) group, focusing on understanding the development of human pain processing, with a particular emphasis on improving the treatment of infant pain. She is interested in the critical newborn period when infants are first exposed to tissue injury and begin to process and experience pain. Her group uses a range of non-invasive brain-imaging tools to explore the development of pain in the human nervous system.
Dr Robert James Snelgrove, Imperial College London
The opposing roles of leukotriene A4 hydrolase (LTA4H) in governing pulmonary neutrophilic inflammation
Robert’s research focuses on paradigm-shifting studies that detailed the previously unknown extracellular peptidase activity of the enzyme LTA4H. The classical role of LTA4H is as a hydrolase in the intracellular generation of the pro-inflammatory neutrophil chemoattractant leukotriene B4 (LTB4). Therefore, LTA4H is an enzyme with opposing pro-inflammatory (LTB4 generation) and anti-inflammatory (PGP degradation) roles, and the expression and relative activities of this enzyme will be critical in dictating the amplitude and persistence of neutrophilic inflammation. Robert’s research seeks to further dissect the opposing roles of LTA4H in dictating neutrophilic inflammation and to develop novel therapeutic strategies.
Dr Chris Spencer, Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford
Statistical methods for understanding the genetics of human disease phenotypes
Chris is a statistical geneticist who has worked on understanding the genetic basis of over 20 common complex diseases through genome-wide association studies, conducted as part of the Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium. These studies include multiple autoimmune diseases, largely in individuals of European ancestry, as well as infectious disease in Kenya, Brazil and India. More recently he has focused on understanding the host genetics of severe malaria susceptibility as part of the MalariaGEN consortium. By developing and applying new methods for combining results from studies of different disease phenotypes with other large-scale genomics data, he aims to gain insights into the underlying molecular mechanisms, as well as the evolutionary processes influencing the distribution of genetic risk factors across populations.
2010
Dr Paul Bays, University College London
Prioritisation of sensory resources for action in the healthy and lesioned brain
Paul is interested in how we use short-term memory and visual attention to guide our actions. He conducts psychophysical, memory and motor performance experiments to investigate these topics in both healthy individuals and neurological patients. His goal is to identify computational mechanisms underlying sensory control of action, and relate them to the neural processes by which they are implemented in the nervous system.
Dr Jeremy Carlton, King’s College London
Tumour suppressor functions of membrane trafficking pathways
Jeremy is a molecular cell biologist who has worked on numerous aspects of membrane trafficking in normal and pathophysiological states. More recently, he has been studying the interplay between membrane trafficking and cellular transformation, with focus upon a group of endosomal proteins called the ESCRT (endosomal sorting complex required for transport) machinery. Jeremy aims to gain insight into how this machinery functions and how alterations in receptor handling that arise due to defects in this machinery can drive tumorigenic phenotypes.
Dr David W Franklin, University of Cambridge
Mechanisms of adaptive sensorimotor control
David is a member of the Computational and Biological Learning Laboratory at the Department of Engineering. His research investigates the physiological mechanisms of human motor learning within a computational framework. This work examines how we develop models of the external world and use these to adapt our movements to new experiences. A major focus of this research is the interaction between the learning of feedforward motor commands and the adaptation of sensory feedback. The methods by which humans solve these problems can then be utilised by robots (and robotic prosthetics) to produce similar adaptation and robustness to an externally changing world.
Dr Eva Frickel, National Institute for Medical Research
A new perspective on anti-Toxoplasma immunity
The long-term goal of Eva’s group is to identify novel pathways and mechanisms of host resistance to Toxoplasma gondii. This protozoan parasite infects a broad range of hosts, with a seroprevalence in man of about 30 per cent. It is unclear how Toxoplasma maintains the intricate balance between survival and host defence. Eva is studying how the parasitophorous vacuole is remodelled within host cells to limit parasite replication, as well as how antigen processing is facilitated for presentation to CD8 T cells. In addition, she is characterising the properties and phenotype of memory CD8 T cells in the Toxoplasma-infected brain.
Dr Eileen Gentleman, King’s College London
Engineering functional bone-soft tissue interfaces: novel approaches to musculoskeletal regenerative medicine
Eileen’s research focuses on utilising novel biomaterial systems and stem cells to create bone and cartilage in the laboratory that could eventually be used to treat cartilage damage before it develops into osteoarthritis. She is particularly interested in the osteochondral interface, the important transitional tissue that connects cartilage to bone, and the role it plays in normal joint function. Her multidisciplinary research interests also include biomineralisation, materials-based characterisation of engineered tissues, and the role of mechano-sensing in tissue development. She has also worked extensively with biomaterials, including bioactive glasses, and is interested in the biological effects of surface energy and ion release on stem cell differentiation.
Dr Sander Granneman, University of Edinburgh
Probing the dynamics of ribosome assembly in yeast
Work in the Granneman laboratory focuses on the dynamics of ribosome synthesis in eukaryotes. Ribosome biogenesis is a highly dynamic process and requires a huge amount of energy and trans-acting factors. Sander’s work aims to determine the function of energy-dependent proteins in ribosome synthesis and understand the RNA structural changes that take place during ribosome assembly. The laboratory is developing a high-throughput sequencing and mathematical modelling approaches to allow quantitative measurements of RNA structural changes in vitro and in vivo.
Dr Ragnhildur Thóra Káradóttir, University of Cambridge
Determinants of oligodendrocyte cell fate in development and disease
Ragnhildur’s laboratory aims to understand the role of the synaptic communication between oligodendroctye precursor cells (OPCs) and axons in the central nervous system white matter, specifically focusing on how a release of neurotransmitter can regulate OPC fate determination during development and myelin repair.
Dr Fiona McNab, University College London
Working memory and attention in the young adult and ageing human brain: distractor suppression and cortical-striatal loops
Fiona began researching working memory as a postdoc at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. Using fMRI she studied the brain’s ability to filter distractors during working-memory tasks. She also investigated the effects of working-memory training on the dopamine system. With her Fellowship, Fiona will continue her research into working memory and distractor filtering.
Dr Karla Miller, University of Oxford
New methods for interrogating white matter microstructure with magnetic resonance imaging
Karla is head of the Advanced Sequence Development Group, within the FMRIB Physics Section. Research in her laboratory focuses on developing new MRI data-acquisition techniques for investigating the brain. In particular, she is interested in MRI methods that provide sensitive measurements of white matter microstructure using susceptibility and diffusion MRI. She also works on functional MRI, high-field imaging and image reconstruction.
Dr John S O’Neill, University of Cambridge
Non-transcriptional mechanisms of the human circadian clock
John’s main research interest is circadian rhythms: the innate biological 24-hour clock that sustains daily cycles of behaviour and physiology in organisms as diverse as humans, plants and bacteria. Currently he is investigating the many interactions between cellular timekeeping, metabolism and signal transduction.
Dr Markus Ralser, University of Cambridge
Genome-wide analysis of the interactions that mediate communication between central carbon metabolism and the cellular regulome
Markus is interested in the stability and regulatory role of the metabolic network during ageing and the stress response. Regulatory mechanisms that involve the metabolic network are studied by combining mass spectrometry and functional yeast genomics. His laboratory is primarily interested in dynamic metabolic rearrangements within central carbon metabolism, and their influence on growth and ageing of eukaryotic cells.
Dr Peter Rugg-Gunn, Babraham Institute
Epigenetic and signal transduction interactions in development and stem cell differentiation
Epigenetic processes mediate the balance between self-renewal and multi-lineage differentiation in stem cells. Peter and his research group investigate how epigenetic processes are linked to other key cellular pathways, including signal transduction cascades and transcription factors, in order to regulate stem cell function. This research will provide crucial insight into how distinct cell types are formed during development and will uncover new and safer ways to use stem cells for regenerative medicine.
Dr David Withers, University of Birmingham
Innate lymphoid cells in CD4 T cell responses
David’s research is focused on understanding the signals involved in the development and maintenance of T cell responses, in particular, the development of memory CD4 T cells, which are essential for developing immunological memory. Immunological memory underpins our strategies of vaccination, so understanding how memory CD4 T cells are generated and maintained is crucial for improving our ability to both vaccinate and modulate unwanted self-reactivity. CD4 T cell responses are initiated within secondary lymphoid tissues such as lymph nodes. Understanding how these structures are formed and maintained is also important for a full understanding of the response.
2009
Dr Chris Bakal, Institute of Cancer Research
A systems genetics analysis of Rho-family GTPase signalling
Chris is the Leader of the Dynamical Cell Systems Team in the Division of Cancer Biology at the Institute of Cancer Research in London. He uses high-throughput functional genomic approaches in combination with novel computational methods to study the biological networks that control the shape of cells and organelles.
Dr Mark D Bass, University of Bristol
How is cell migration regulated by the extracellular matrix: role of syndecan-4 and integrin-alpha5beta1 receptors in the regulation of Rho family GTPases
Mark is investigating the direct regulation of integrin trafficking by syndecan-4 that is responsible for the initiation of fibroblast migration upon wounding. The work is supported by investigation of how antagonistic Rac1 and RhoA signals are balanced, resolving how syndecan-4 coordinates the disparate elements of fibroblast signalling during a healing response.
Dr Timothy E J Behrens, University of Oxford
Biophysical mechanisms of goal-based decision-making
Timothy is interested in systems neuroscience. He studies anatomical brain connections, and the function of the reward system. He uses several brain-imaging techniques in humans, and both correlative and causative techniques in non-human primates. Usually he tries to relate his results to formal computational models of learning and decision-making.
Dr Mikael Bjorklund, University of Dundee
Regulation of cell size in multicellular organisms
Cell growth occurs as cells increase their biomass and divide. While the mechanisms required for cell cycle progression are rather well understood, it is much less clear how cell size is regulated, especially in multicellular organisms. The aim of Mikael’s laboratory is to utilise genome-scale approaches to understand how and why cells grow to their characteristic size using Drosophila and mammalian cells as models. In particular, he is interested in elucidating how signalling, translation and metabolism are intertwined in cell size control. Ultimately, studies on cell size may help us to understand diseases such as cancer and diabetes, as many mechanisms known to modulate cell size are affected in these diseases.
Dr Patrick T Caswell, University of Manchester
Regulating intracellular signalling pathways through integrin-mediated endocytic trafficking
Patrick is based in the Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell-Matrix Research within the Faculty of Life Sciences at the University of Manchester. His research focuses on coordination of signals from the extracellular matrix and soluble growth factors and cytokines in cells as they migrate and differentiate, and the role that endocytic trafficking of integrins and other receptors plays in this. He uses a variety of cell biology and biochemistry techniques, including live-cell imaging in 3D-model systems that more closely mimic the physiological environment found in vivo.
Dr Andrew Firth, University of Cambridge
Systematic bioinformatic discovery of ‘hidden’ virus genes
Andrew is currently based in the Division of Virology, where his research interests include the development of new algorithms for analysing RNA virus sequence data, computational identification of previously overlooked functional elements, and experimental verification and analysis of computational predictions. Of particular interest are the many unusual translational strategies (e.g. internal ribosome entry, ribosomal frame-shifting, etc.) that RNA viruses use to express their genes. These studies not only reveal new aspects of the biology of specific viruses, but also provide new insights into cellular gene expression mechanisms, and (potentially) new targets for the development of antiviral drugs and/or vaccines.
Dr Finn Grey, University of Edinburgh
MicroRNAs and viral pathogenesis
Finn’s current research has focused on human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) microRNAs. HCMV encodes at least 14 miRNA genes. The use of cutting-edge technologies such as RISC immunoprecipitation and the ability to rapidly manipulate viral genomes through BAC technology has allowed the identification of numerous cellular and viral miRNA targets. This research has already led to novel insights into the role of viral miRNAs as well as the function of miRNAs in general. In addition, previously unknown host-virus interactions have been discovered through miRNA target identification. Because miRNAs can potentially target any cellular gene, and therefore any biological process, the research has the potential to impact on diverse aspects of virus biology and host-virus interaction. The challenge for future research in this area is to develop a more detailed understanding of how these genes are involved in virus biology and why viruses target certain genes by miRNA regulation.
Dr Eric Griffis, University of Dundee
Regulation of myosin II filament assembly and stabilisation, localization and cortical anchoring
Dr Matthew Grubb, King’s College London
Activity codes for neuronal maturation in the olfactory bulb: development and adult neurogenesis
Matthew’s laboratory at the MRC Centre for Developmental Neurobiology is interested in how electrical activity sculpts the development of the brain, with particular focus on plasticity at the axon initial segment, and on newly generated neurons in the adult olfactory system.
Dr Nadia Guerra, Imperial College London
Regulatory function of NK receptors in pathologies associated with chronic inflammation
Nadia’s research focuses on the function and dynamic of the immune response mediated by natural killer (NK) cells upon chronic inflammation. She aims to elucidate the physiological relevance of immunoreceptors expressed by cells in the development of immunopathologies and cancer. A main focus in her laboratory relies on combining state-of-the-art multi-photon imaging with novel mouse models to investigate the behaviour of NK cells during chronic inflammation, with a view to understanding the role they play in cancer progression.
Dr Alexander Hergovich, University College London
Deciphering mammalian MST/hMOB1/NDR/LATS tumour suppressor networks
Alexander is interested in mammalian NDR/LATS kinase signalling. He aims to decipher the key step or steps that are essential for the tumour suppressor activity of this crucial signalling pathway.
Dr Jonathan M Houseley, Babraham Institute
The influence of non-coding RNAs on chromatin structure in budding yeast
The aim of the current research in Jonathan’s laboratory is to find and functionally characterise novel non-coding RNAs involved in both chromatin remodelling and DNA stability. He is particularly concentrating on CUT transcripts and the function of the RNA degradation protein Trf4, since Trf4 has known roles in genome stability. Loss of Trf4 stabilises CUT transcripts sufficiently to allow their detection, and also destabilises the genome in a number of ways. Jonathan theorises that this destabilisation may reflect the loss of a Trf4-based mechanism for recruitment of chromatin remodelling factors to sites of CUT transcription.
Dr Kim B Jensen, University of Cambridge
Functional analysis of Lrig1 and Lrig3 in adult epidermal stem cell self-renewal
Kim’s group at the Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, is currently investigating the role of somatic stem cells in tissue development, tissue homeostasis and disease.
Dr Roi Cohen Kadosh, University of Oxford
Neurocognitive mechanisms of learning and representation of numerical information in the numerate and innumerate brain
Roi’s research interests include numerical cognition, parietal lobe functions and their role in numerical and magnitude representation, and the neurocognitive mechanisms of synaesthesia. His work on numerical cognition focuses on understanding the neural mechanisms and cognitive architectures that are necessary for perceiving, representing and manipulating information about numbers. To study these topics he uses a variety of techniques - including functional and structural MRI, brain stimulation, and electroencephalography - with normal and clinical populations. He is currently working on novel methods that can help design biomedical devices to improve numerical cognition in people with low numerical abilities.
Dr Rachel McMullan, Imperial College London
Genetic analysis of post-developmental Rho GTPase signalling: identification and characterisation of Rho signalling pathways required during the C. elegans immune response
Rachel’s current work in the Division of Cell and Molecular Biology focuses on the role of Rho signalling in the C. elegans innate immune response. She has shown that Rho signalling cooperates with the Ras-MAP kinase pathway to regulate cell shape during the immune response and she is currently using forward and reverse screening approaches to identify the regulators and effectors required for this process.
Dr Kevin Murphy, Cardiff University
Quantifying vascular influences on neurovascular coupling with fMRI
Kevin works at Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC) investigating age-related vascular influences on neurovascular coupling. For fMRI to reach its maximum potential, neurovascular coupling changes must be understood and appropriately considered. Using ageing as a model of altered vasculature, Kevin is developing the necessary neuroimaging tools to assess cerebrovascular health. The resulting neurovascular coupling corrections promise to substantially enhance the utility of fMRI in both healthy and clinical groups, benefiting neurological health in an ageing population and translating to any patients with altered vascular dynamics.
Dr Joseph Murray, University of Cambridge
Risk and protective factors for conduct problems and violence in Brazil and Britain
Joseph’s research focuses on the development of conduct problems, crime and violence through the life course. From 2011 to 2015 he will investigate biological, psychological and social influences on antisocial behaviour in two birth cohort studies in Brazil (the 1982 and 1993 Pelotas Birth Cohort Studies) and one in Britain (ALSPAC).
Dr Samuel K Sheppard, University of Oxford
The genomics of host adaptation in Campylobacter
Sam’s research centres on the use of genetics/genomics and phenotypic studies to address complex questions in the ecology, epidemiology and evolution of microbes. His most recent interest focuses upon comparative genome analysis to describe the core and flexible genome of pathogenic bacteria (Campylobacter, Staphylococcus and Escherichia coli) and how this is related to population genetic structuring, the maintenance of species, and the evolution of host/niche adaptation and virulence.
Dr Victoria Southgate, Birkbeck, University of London
The neural basis of action interpretation in human infants
Victoria is based at the Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development at Birkbeck. Her research interests lie in early social cognition. She employs different methods (EEG, NIRS, eye-tracking) to understand how typically developing human infants are able to make sense of others’ actions, perceive them as goal-directed and intentional, and learn from them.
Dr Ilias Tachtsidis, University College London
The fusion of optical and magnetic resonance spectroscopy technologies to deliver novel multimodal methods to investigate brain injury in adults and neonates
Ilias is the head of the multi-modal spectroscopy group based in the Biomedical Optics Research Laboratory in Medical Physics and Bioengineering in UCL. His main research interests are centred on the development of the next generation of brain tissue optical devices and their clinical application in both adults and neonates. Ilias’s Fellowship aims to fuse state-of-the-art brain monitoring and imaging techniques and utilise advanced mathematical modelling techniques to enhance clinical understanding and information on brain injury processes in patients.
Dr John Vakonakis, University of Oxford
Biophysical studies of pathogenic malaria cytoadherence
Malaria is perhaps the tropical disease most widely studied in the UK, yet it still finds ways to surprise us. John’s laboratory works on a molecular system that Plasmodium falciparum develops while infecting human erythrocytes. The parasite creates novel multi-protein structures on the erythrocyte surface, and these are responsible for adhering infected erythrocytes to the microvasculature. This pathogenic adhesion obstructs blood flow and is responsible for tissue damage in severe malaria cases. Crucially, abnormal haemoglobins have been positively selected in areas of endemic malaria because they disable this parasite system. John’s group studies the cytoadherence system by biophysical methods, including NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography, to learn how to disable it by artificial means. To bridge the gaps between high-resolution protein structures and whole cells, they collaborate with groups doing electron microscopy and in vivo molecular biology.
Dr Lidia Vasilieva, University of Oxford
Role of the exosome complex in RNA quality control
RNAs are involved in many key cellular processes, and even minor alterations in RNA levels are often detrimental and can lead to diseases in humans. Lidia’s research is aimed at understanding how the exosome complex, a major RNA processing/degradation machinery, orchestrates different aspects of RNA metabolism: degradation, processing and quality control contribute to gene silencing. Her laboratory is using biochemical, genetic and cell biology approaches to elucidate the exact molecular mechanisms regulating exosome activity and specificity in simple eukaryotes (S. cerevisiae and S. pombe).
Dr Octavian Voiculescu, University of Cambridge
Building and shaping the central nervous system in higher vertebrates: an integrative approach
The focus of Octavian’s group in Cambridge is the generation and shaping of the main axis of the embryo, including the central nervous system. He is using a combination of approaches - in vivo imaging, targeted genetic modifications and computer simulations - and aims to understand the shaping of the central nervous system and the whole embryo in higher vertebrates.
Dr Chris Wallace, University of Cambridge
Genes and pathways in type 1 diabetes
Chris is a statistician working with biological datasets to understand the genetic mechanisms underlying human disease, in particular type 1 diabetes. She is particularly interested in disentangling apparently co-localising traits, for example to understand whether the effect of a genetic variant on risk of disease is mediated by its effect on another measured trait such as gene expression, and in exploring methods to examine allelic expression imbalance within individuals.
Dr Mark Walton, University of Oxford
Cortical and mesolimbic dopamine interactions during cost-benefit value calculation
Mark is a neuroscientist working on how circuits and chemicals in the brain are involved in guiding decision-making. His particular focus has been on how different frontal lobe circuits are involved in evaluating information about potential costs and benefits, to allow animals to overcome costs to achieve advantageous outcomes, and in learning from the consequences of our decisions.
Dr Steven J West, University of Edinburgh
Transcription-coupled mechanisms of nuclear mRNA surveillance and their global role in human gene expression
Steven’s research focuses on mechanisms of RNA degradation in the human nucleus. He is particularly interested in mechanisms of pre-mRNA degradation. Current research aims to characterise the fate of pre-mRNAs whose synthesis is blocked at defined stages during maturation. These studies are aimed at identifying different pathways of pre-mRNA turnover and the proteins implicated in them.
2008
Dr Katerina Artavanis-Tsakonas, Imperial College London
Functional proteomic analysis of the ubiquitin pathway during parasitic infections
Katerina’s group is studying host-pathogen interactions during parasitic infections, with a particular focus on malaria and the role of the ubiquitin pathway. Using changes in cellular ubiquitination profiles as a measure, they are characterising the underlying host pathways affected during parasite exposure, in an effort to elucidate the mechanisms behind the immune response during infection. In addition, her group is also identifying parasite-derived ubiquitin pathway components that are either essential to pathogen survival or able to interfere with the host ubiquitin machinery.
Dr Kate N Bishop, Medical Research Council
Investigating the early post-entry steps of the retrovirus life cycle
Retroviruses cause severe diseases, including immunodeficiency and cancer. The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is the most widely known retrovirus due to its impact on human health. The three main projects in Kate’s laboratory aim to characterise the molecular events that occur once a retrovirus has entered a cell, in order to fully understand retroviral replication and provide potential ways in which to manipulate these processes for the benefit of human health.
Dr Adriano Boasso, Imperial College London
Chronic innate immune activation in HIV-1 immunopathogenesis
The aim of Adriano’s research programme is to provide a comprehensive model of the pathogenic mechanisms which characterise HIV infection and to identify the specific features that render HIV pathogenic for the immune system.
Dr Ian C Duguid, University of Edinburgh
The role of presynaptic NMDA receptors in sensory information processing and cerebellar synaptic plasticity in vivo
Ian is interested in understanding the mechanisms that initiate and control complex motor movements and learned motor behaviours. His group at the Centre for Integrative Physiology, University of Edinburgh, is currently using in vivo patch clamp techniques, circuit mapping, quantitative behavioural paradigms and computational neuroscience to investigate how different cell types in the motor cortex and cerebellum encode sensorimotor information during behaviour.
Dr Sarah Elderkin, Babraham Institute
Understanding the regulation of polycomb repressor complex 1 and its role in epigenetic control of gene expression
Sarah’s Fellowship is focusing on polycomb complexes in stem cells. Her current research involves investigating how signalling pathways regulate polycomb repressive complexes and the role they play in stem cell self-renewal and differentiation. Sarah’s laboratory is part of the Nuclear Dynamics Programme based at the Babraham Institute in Cambridge.
Dr Sherif F El-Khamisy, University of Sussex
Neurodegeneration and ageing: roles for DNA single-strand break repair
Sherif’s research is focused on understanding mechanisms of repairing topoisomerase-mediated DNA damage and its association with human disease, such as cancer and neurodegeneration. Particularly, he is interested in studying how enzymes that repair trapped topoisomerases, such as tyrosyl DNA phosphodiesterase 1 (TDP1) and the newly discovered enzyme TDP2, participate in protecting our genetic material from genotoxic stress.
Dr Eric Fèvre, University of Edinburgh
Epidemiology of zoonoses among livestock and their keepers in East Africa
Eric is an epidemiologist interested in the biology and control of (re-)emerging diseases, particularly zoonoses, with a focus on understanding the factors involved in risk, transmission, persistence, spread and - importantly - disease burden of pathogens in both human and animal populations. He also has a strong interest in understanding the influence of the physical environment on pathogen transmission. He is currently jointly appointed between the University of Edinburgh (UK) and the International Livestock Research Institute (Kenya). During his Fellowship, Eric has established and is running a diagnostic field laboratory in western Kenya, with additional collaboration from the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI). A key interest in this project is the role of co-infections in the epidemiology of neglected zoonotic diseases and quantifying transmission between hosts.
Dr David C Grainger, University of Birmingham
Studies of bacterial chromosome folding
David is an expert in the field of bacterial chromosome biology. His laboratory is focused on understanding mechanisms of DNA folding in bacteria. He is also interested in how this process impinges upon gene expression, DNA replication and pathogenicity.
Dr Andrew Jackson, Newcastle University
Closed-loop neurostimulation of the motor system
Andrew’s scientific interests include the neural mechanisms of motor control, cortical plasticity and spinal cord physiology. This basic research informs the development of neural prosthetics technology to restore motor function to the injured nervous system.
Dr Nicholas A Lesica, University College London
Population coding of natural sounds in the mammalian auditory system
Nicholas’s research is focused on using electrophysiological experiments to understand how sensory systems encode and process information, as well as on the development of analytical tools and models to facilitate the analysis of experimental data. During the first two years of his Fellowship, his focus was on the development of new methods for the characterisation of neuronal population activity. These methods will facilitate the extraction of information from complex experimental data that can advance our understanding of the representation of natural soundscapes in the central auditory system. His current work is focused on experimental investigation of how the neuronal representation of complex sounds is transformed throughout the auditory pathway, from the auditory nerve to the primary auditory cortex.
Dr Cecilia Lindgren, University of Oxford
Genetics and genomics of central obesity
Dr Jim McCambridge, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Performance bias in behaviour change trials: what is the problem and how should it be studied?
Jim investigates the design and conduct of behavioural intervention trials. This methodological programme of study stems from, and informs, substantive intervention evaluation studies. The bulk of this work has been done in the addictions field, particularly on alcohol, with a focus on individual behaviour change interventions of potential public health benefit. Other current alcohol and public health interests include systematic reviews of observational epidemiological studies and policy studies which examine the influence of industry.
Dr Catherine Molyneux, University of Oxford
Strengthening community accountability in biomedical research and health delivery
Dr Tom Monie, University of Cambridge
Molecular characterisation of NOD1- and NOD2-mediated ligand recognition and signal transduction
Tom is interested in the body’s relationship with pathogens. His research is currently focused on understanding the molecular and structural basis of pathogen recognition and initiation of an inflammatory response. He is working on members of the cytoplasmic NOD-like receptors, especially NOD1 and NOD2. These proteins respond to a variety of cellular and pathogen-derived molecules, interact with specific adaptor proteins, and up-regulate NFkB- and/or caspase-1-mediated inflammatory pathways. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in these receptors have been linked with specific inflammatory conditions such as Crohn’s disease, eczema and asthma. He is investigating the molecular basis of NOD-like receptor function, their interactions with protein co-factors and the effect that SNPs have on receptor activation. Understanding how these receptors function will establish potential areas for therapeutic development for the treatment of inflammatory diseases.
Dr Janaina Mourao-Miranda, University College London
A machine learning approach to the analysis of psychiatric neuroimaging data
Janaina is based at the UCL Centre for Computational Statistics and Machine Learning and at the King’s College London Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences. Her research focuses on developing and applying pattern recognition methods to analyse neuroimaging data, in particular brain activation and structural patterns that distinguish between healthy subjects and patients. Recent work includes the development and application of spatiotemporal SVM, one-class SVM to detect patients as outliers, and in-depth studies of kernel methods for neuroimaging-based diagnosis and prognosis.
Dr Darren J Obbard, University of Edinburgh
The demography, population genetics and genome evolution of viral pathogens in an innate immunity model
Darren is interested in the molecular basis of adaptive evolution. By applying population-genetic approaches to host-parasite systems, he aims to understand how the selective pressure exerted by host-parasite interaction translates into adaptive change. His background is in evolutionary genetics, and in the past he has worked on population structure, phylogeny and patterns of adaptive evolution in insect immune genes. Darren’s research now combines experimental and population-genetic methods to study the evolution of antiviral RNAi and co-evolution between the Drosophila immune system and naturally occurring Drosophila viruses.
Dr José Carlos Rebelo da Silva, Wellcome Trust-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge
Investigation of the nuclear reprogramming process using defined factors
José’s laboratory studies the underlying biology of the conversion of a somatic epigenome back into a pluripotent epigenome, a process known as induced pluripotency. His laboratory is particularly interested in determining the molecular mechanisms by which the key players in this process work. Fully understanding induced pluripotency and better characterising induced pluripotent stem cells is indispensible before these can be used in biomedical applications.
Dr Ben S Webb, University of Nottingham
The computations mediating perceptual decisions
Ben’s research sits at the interface between behaviour and brain function. Heavily influenced by his PhD and postdoctoral training as a neurophysiologist, Ben believes that most behaviour can be explained in terms of the underlying neural computations. Currently he uses visual psychophysics, eye movement recordings and physiologically inspired computational modelling to investigate how the human brain decodes the responses of large populations of neurons to guide decision making and learn new sensory tasks.
Dr Krina T Zondervan, University of Oxford
Genetic and molecular epidemiology of endometriosis
Krina’s research has focused on the design and application of epidemiological methods in women’s health, in particular endometriosis (a common cause of infertility and pelvic pain). She leads a multidisciplinary research group based at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics and the Nuffield Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in Oxford, investigating the genetic, molecular and environmental epidemiology of endometriosis. The aim is for results to ultimately lead to the development of non-invasive diagnostic tools, novel therapeutic interventions or improved methods of risk prediction, in both high-risk families as well as the general population.
2007
Dr David Brough, University of Manchester
Understanding the cellular release of interleukin-1
David works within the Faculty of Life Sciences at the University of Manchester. Initially his research stemmed from studies looking at the inflammatory response to injured cells in the brain, but now encompasses mechanisms of inflammation in general. Currently some of the research projects ongoing within David’s laboratory are: What are the damage-associated molecular patterns that initiate an inflammatory response after stroke? What are the mechanisms of activation of the pro-inflammatory caspase-1? What are the mechanisms of leaderless cytokine secretion? How do host mechanisms contribute to cytosolic bacterial escape from phagosomes?
Dr Angela B Brueggemann, University of Oxford
Pneumococcal evolution by genetic recombination
The main focus of Angela’s research laboratory is Streptococcus pneumoniae, a bacterium that is a major cause of diseases such as pneumonia and meningitis worldwide. Her current research involves using high-throughput genotyping and whole-genome sequencing techniques to understand pneumococcal evolution, especially evolutionary changes related to antimicrobial and vaccine selective pressures. This work has relevance to understanding how antimicrobial resistance determinants evolve and spread, and has implications for the long-term effectiveness of the existing pneumococcal conjugate vaccines and for the design of future vaccines.
Dr Matthew Burton, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Studies in the pathogenesis and control of blinding trachoma
Dr Changjiang Dong, University of St Andrews
Structure and mechanism of wzy-dependent pathway enzymes involving biosynthesis of crucial and diverse carbohydrate virulence determinants O-antigen and capsule
Changjiang’s research interests span chemical and membrane biology, structure and function of membrane protein and membrane protein complex, infection and cancer, structure-based drug design, and drug synthesis by novel enzymes.
Dr Thomas A Down, University of Cambridge
Discovery and annotation of regulatory elements in metazoan genomes
Thomas is a computational biologist focusing on sequence analysis, transcriptional regulation and epigenomics. He is interested in applying new analytical approaches to complex biological datasets and has developed a number of new methods, including the NestedMICA motif inference tool and the Batman algorithm for normalisation and quantitation of DNA methylation data. Current research focuses on inferring the repertoire of regulatory sequences from whole genomes, and investigating the architecture and variation of epigenetic marks such as DNA methylation.
Dr Kate M Dunn, Keele University
The course of symptoms over time and the influence of the family on patterns of chronic pain
Kate’s research interests include the epidemiology of chronic pain and symptoms in primary care, particularly their patterns and influences over time. Her work has focused on the clinical epidemiology of back pain, including definitions and classifications of chronic pain, pain trajectories, subgrouping pain patients, and predictors of pain prognosis. She has collaborated and published with a number of international researchers on these topics. A developing area is familial influences on pain and symptoms. Kate is currently a Reader in Epidemiology at the Arthritis Research UK Primary Care Centre, Keele University.
Dr Hendrik Huthoff, King’s College London
Validation of the APOBEC3G-Vif interaction as a drug target
Hendrik’s research interests lie in infectious diseases, more specifically the interactions of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) with the cell it infects. Following the award of his Fellowship, his work initially focused on the human APOBEC3G protein, which is part of the human innate immune barrier that evolved to restrict viral infection. However, APOBEC3G is rendered inactive by the viral Vif protein. Hendrik studied the structure-function relationship of the interaction between these proteins, with a view towards its exploitation as a therapeutic target in HIV infection. During the course of his Fellowship Hendrik has expanded his research interest to include the dependency of HIV on the host, in particular the cellular metabolism. Since viruses do not have a metabolism of their own, his current research is focused on how cellular bio-energetic and synthetic resources are allocated for the production of viral progeny. Again, this is aimed at the identification of novel drug targets.
Dr Robert J Klose, University of Oxford
Epigenetic regulation of chromatin function
Rob is based at the Department of Biochemistry in Oxford. His group is focused on understanding how chromatin and epigenetic modifications impact on genome function.
Dr Chris G Knight, University of Manchester
Uncovering the systems effects of ethanol tolerance evolution in yeast
Chris’s research aims to make molecular connections between genotype and phenotype in evolution. He primarily uses yeast as a model system and takes diverse approaches, from computational modelling to experimental evolution. Alcohol is particularly interesting since in yeast, as in humans, it plays multiple roles. For yeast, alcohol can be food, waste product, toxin or a means of interacting with other organisms. Yeast has also been evolving in alcoholic environments throughout its history so Chris’s research unpicking the role of alcohol in evolution is seeking novel insights into the way such evolution works in both short and long timescales.
Dr Karri P Lamsa, University of Oxford
Inhibitory circuit dynamics and their pathological reorganisation
Karri’s research aims to understand the dynamics of inhibitory GABAergic microcircuits during normal brain activity and their pathological reorganisation in neurological and psychiatric disorders. He focuses on the hippocampus and associated brain areas. Major current research topics are: synaptic plasticity in inhibitory circuits in the hippocampal formation; circuit- and domain-specific modulation of inhibition; and neuropathology of identified GABAergic circuits in schizophrenia models in epilepsy.
Dr Sally Lowell, University of Edinburgh
Lineage specification of embryonic stem cells
Sally is interested in how communication between cells influences their differentiation decisions. Her current work at the University of Edinburgh MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine focuses on the transition from pluripotency to lineage commitment, using mouse ES cells as her main model system. This extends work that she started during a postdoc with Austin Smith in Edinburgh, showing that Notch signalling can bias lineage choice of pluripotent cells.
Dr Laura Maringele, Newcastle University
A new approach to understanding chromosomal instability: identification and characterisation of DNA-damage cover-up proteins
Laura has been working in the DNA repair field as a Wellcome Trust Fellow for the past four years. Her main discovery as a Fellow is a novel checkpoint inhibitory pathway, which determines whether cells respond to or ignore a form of DNA damage called single-stranded DNA. In addition, she found a novel way to accelerate the repair of single-stranded DNA, with help from inositol.
Dr Nuala M McGrath, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Partnerships and sexual behaviour in rural South Africa in the era of HIV and ART
Nuala is an infectious disease epidemiologist with a background in biostatistics. She is based in South Africa with the Africa Centre for Health and Population Studies and the Human Sciences Research Council. Her research explores sexual behaviour and relationship dynamics in the era of HIV treatment and testing couples-based interventions to reduce HIV transmission.
Dr Irene Miguel-Aliaga, Imperial College London
Formation and function of insulin-producing neurons in drosophila
As a graduate student at the University of Oxford, Irene developed invertebrate models of human neurodegeneration. An interest in developmental neurogenetics led her to Harvard and the MRC National Institute of Medical Research, where her postdoctoral work focused on the specification of intestinal neurons in Drosophila. There she realised how little we know about the crosstalk between the nervous and digestive systems, both during development and in the maintenance of homeostasis. Her recent work is uncovering the nature and significance of the signals mediating this crosstalk, and aims to understand how deregulation of these signals leads to very prevalent conditions such as diabetes, obesity and metabolic syndrome.
Dr Catherine Millar, University of Manchester
Investigation of the functions of variant histone H2A.Z acetylation
Catherine is based at the University of Manchester, where her laboratory investigates the biological functions of histone variants. Research in the Millar laboratory focuses on H2A.Z, a highly conserved variant of H2A that is essential in higher organisms and misregulated in human disease. A combination of genomic, genetic and biochemical approaches are used to address fundamental questions about the roles of H2A.Z in chromatin organisation and gene regulation.
Dr Stuart J D Neil, King’s College London
The role of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) Vpu protein in overcoming a novel antiviral restriction of virus release
Dr Sarah E Reece, University of Edinburgh
Understanding phenotypic plasticity in the reproductive strategies of malaria parasites
Sarah’s research group investigates the strategies that parasites have evolved to maximise critical components of fitness: in-host survival and between-host transmission. The within-host biology of parasites has traditionally been studied using reductionist approaches (e.g. cell and molecular biology), whereas between-host transmission tends to be the domain of evolutionary biologists, who focus on population-level biology. Her research bridges this divide by using an evolutionary ecology approach to explain the within-host dynamics of parasites. Explaining how natural selection has solved the complex problems faced by parasites is central to biomedicine, yet the success of ‘evolutionary medicine’ hinges on a significantly better understanding of the evolutionary biology of parasites. Sarah’s work highlights that parasite evolutionary ecology is an emerging discipline, overcoming the limitations of reductionist approaches, and offers novel advances to evolutionary biology.
Dr Charles Wondji, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
Characterisation of pyrethroid resistance in field populations of Anopheles funestus, malaria vector in Africa
Charles’s research interest is the understanding of the biology, genetics and genomics of mosquito vectors of malaria, notably A. funestus, one of the major malaria vectors in Africa. Currently, he investigates insecticide resistance mechanisms in A. funestus using genetic mapping, functional genomics (microarray, RNAseq, RNAi) and functional analyses (GAL4/UAS transgenic expression of mosquito genes in Drosophila and the heterologous expression of candidate genes in E. coli to confirm their ability to confer resistance). Additionally, he is investigating patterns of population genomics associated with selective pressure from insecticide applications. He aims to use this knowledge to detect resistance markers and develop molecular assays to detect resistance in field populations. This will greatly facilitate the management of insecticide resistance in Africa.
