Former Fellows

Research Interests

Anisotropic retinal circuits for processing of colour and space in nature.

Other Information

MIT Technology Review, Europe. ​ “Innovators under 35″, 2016
ERC-Starter Grant 2016
Eppendorf & Nature. Young European Investigator Award, 2017
Elected Fellow, Royal Society of Biology (FRSB), 2019
Granted Wellcome Trust Investigator Award, 2020
Awarded Nature Research Award for Driving Global Impact, 2019
Awarded the Boehringer Igeleim FENS research Awards, 2022
Voted onto the IBRO PERC Committee, 2022
Elected Member of EMBO, 2023
Wellcome Investigator Award 2021
ERC-Advanced Grant 2024
Director of Sussex Neuroscience 2025 –

Fellow 1990-1997

Research Interests
Molecular mechanisms underlying the long term persistence of bacterial infections in bones and joints.

Other Information
Elected to a three-year non-stipendiary medical research fellowship at Corpus Christi College, Oxford, June 1992
Appointed Hon Senior Registrar with Oxford RHA for one year from 1.10.92 and granted unpaid leave of absence during this period
Granted further year’s unpaid leave of absence to 31.12.94
Promoted to Hon Consultant status from 1.1.95
Resigned fellowship to take up appointment as Consultant Physician in Charge of the Bone Infection Unit at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, Oxford, from 1.9.97
Elected a Member of the Institute, 1998
Medical Director, Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, 2003

Fellow 1999-2005

Research Interests
Mycobacterial cell wall biosynthesis: structure, function and biological implications in tuberculosis.

Other Information
Lister Institute-Jenner Fellow
Awarded the 1999 W.H. Pierce Prize from the Society of Applied Microbiology
Promoted to Professor of Microbial Physiology, 2000
Granted unpaid leave from 1.2.02 to 1.8.02 to re-establish research (fellowship now finishes 31.3.05)
Elected a Member of the Institute, 2006
The Biochemical Society: Biochemical Society Award, 2008

Fellow 1991-1996

Research Interests
Chromatin and nuclear organisation of the mammalian genome, gene packaging and organisation within the chromosomes.

Other Information
Appointed Senior Scientist in the MRC Human Genetics Unit, 1.10.96
1997 Genetical Society Balfour Lecturer
Elected a Member of the Institute, 1997
Awarded the James S. McDonnell Foundation Centennial Fellowship in Human Genetics, 1999
Elected a member of EMBO, 2001
Nominated as Charles Darwin Award Lecturer 2001, at the BAAS
Appointed Hon Lecturer, University of Edinburgh
Elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, 2005
Elected a Member of the Institute’s Scientific Advisory Committee, 2008
Appointed Head of Section: Chromosome and Gene Expression, MRC Human Genetics Unit, 2009
Elected Fellow of the Academy of Medical Science, 2005
Elected a Member of the Institute’s Scientific Advisory Committee, 2008-2013
Head of Chromosome & Gene Expression, MRC Human Genetics Unit, 2009
Appointed to Institute’s Governing Body, 2013, re-elected 2018
President of the Genetics Society, 2015
Director MRC Human Genetics Unit, Edinburgh, 2015
Elected to the Royal Society, 2017
Awarded CBE, 2021
Elected as a Foreign Member of the National Academy of Sciences (USA)

Fellow 2005-2009

Research Interests
Functional genomics of malaria parasite development and mosquito transmission.

Other Information
Moved to Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, 2007
Elected a Member of the Institute, 2010
Moved to Umeå University, Sweden, 2018
Appointed Professor Umeå University, Sweden, 2018
Director Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden 2018
ERC Advanced Grant, 2018

Fellow 1991-1996

Research Interests
Interests are chromosome replication and the cell cycle.

Other Information
Lister Institute-Jenner Fellow
Appointed Senior Scientist at ICRF from 1.7.96
Elected a Member of the Institute, 1997
Director, CRC Chromosome Replication Research Group, University of Dundee, from November 1997
Senior Lecturer in the Department of Biochemistry, University of Dundee, from 1.11.97
Elected member of EMBO, 1999
Appointed Reader 1.10.00
Awarded a personal chair in Chromosome Maintenance, November 2001
Elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, March 2002
Elected Fellow of Academy of Medical Sciences, 2012
Appointed Dean of Research for College of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, August 2014
Appointed Dean of School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, April 2016
Appointed member of the Institute’s Scientific Committee, 2019
Professor of Chromosome Maintenance and Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research & Innovation at the University of East Anglia, 2024

Research Interests
BREX and phage-bacteria interactions.

Fellow 1983-1987

Research Interests
Active in research management, education and administration. General interest in infectious diseases and viral infection processes.

Other Information
Temporary Clinical Senior Registrar 1.4.86 – 31.12.86
Hon Senior Lecturer/Consultant from 1.4.87
Appointed Wellcome Senior Lecturer, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, having resigned Lister Fellowship, 1.1.88
Appointed Lecturer in Medicine, University of Cambridge, 1988
Appointed Professor of Medicine, University of Wales College of Medicine, Cardiff, 1.1.91
Elected a Member of the Institute, 1993
Appointed to the Council of the MRC, 1995
Elected member of the Institute’s SAC, 1996
Appointed Chairman of the Molecular & Cell Medicines Board, 1996
Elected as Foreign Member of the Faculty of Natural Sciences of the Polish Academy of Arts & Science, 1998
Chairman of the Hospital-based Clinical Subjects Unit of Assessment Panel for the 2001 RAE
Founder Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, 1998
Knighthood, New Year’s Honours List, 2001
Appointed Principal, Imperial College School of Medicine from 1.2.01
Appointed Chairman of the Joint Medical Advisory Committee to the Higher Education Funding Council 2002
Appointed Deputy Rector, Imperial College London, 1.10.04
Appointed Chief Executive, MRC, 2008
Elected a Fellow of the Royal Society, 2008
Appointed Vice Chancellor, University of Cambridge, 2010
Appointed Chairman, Cancer Research UK, 2017
Appointed Board Trustee, Nanyang Technological University Singapore, 2017
Appointed Governor, Director & Charity Trustee, Courtauld Institute of Art, 2019
Appointed Council Member, Imperial College London, August 2021
Chairman Diamond Light Source
GBE

Fellow 1999-2003

Research Interests
The regulation of gene activity: specifically, how the level of gene transcription is regulated after activation and how chromatin packaging is disrupted to allow accessibility to genetic information.

Other Information
Elected a Member of the Institute, 2004
Moved to the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, University of Leeds, 1.10.04 as a University Research Fellow

Fellow 2004-2015

Research Interests
Using yeast as a model system to understand the insulin-dependent trafficking of GLUT4 in adipocytes

Other Information
Prize Fellowship extended until 31.12.13
Promoted to Reader, August 2010
Fellowship extended to 31.08.15
Moved to University of York, 2014

Fellow 2008-2013

Research Interests
Molecular cell biology of cytoskeletal transport.

Other Information
Elected a member of the Institute 2014
Elected a member of EMBO, 2015

Fellow 2009-2014

Research Interests
Studying the emergence of neuronal circuits during brain development

Other Information
Elected a member of the Institute, 2015

Fellow 1985-1991

Research Interests
Generation of human antibodies in response to infectious agents, particularly HIV and the impact of this on vaccine design.

Other Information
Lister Institute-Jenner Fellow
Promoted to Senior Lecturer from 1.10.87
One year’s sabbatical at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, July 1989 to August 1990
Fellowship extended by 2 yrs to Sept 1992 & sabbatical leave at the Scripps Inst extended by 1 yr to Aug 1991
Appointed Professor (Personal Chair) in the Department of Biochemistry from 1.10.90
Resigned fellowship on appointment to the staff of the Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, on 1.10.91
1995-2005 NIH Merit Award
Elected a Member of the Institute 2003

Fellow 1994-1998

Research Interests
The cellular and developmental biology of the filamentous, antibiotic-producing bacteria Streptomyces. Fundamental aspects of bacterial transcription. The regulatory networks and cyclic nucleotide signalling events that control sporulation in Streptomyces.

Other Information
Appointed Group Leader, John Innes Centre, 1990
Elected a Member of the Institute, 1999
Appointed Professor, 2005
Elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology, 2009
Appointed Head, Department of Molecular Microbiology, John Innes Centre, 2012
Appointed to the Scientific Advisory Board of the Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany, 2017
Appointed to the Scientific Advisory Board of the Department of Microbiology of the Pasteur Institute, Paris, France, 2019
Appointed Co-Editor-in-Chief Current Opinion in Microbiology, 2022