Dr Franchesca Houghton BSc(Hons), DPhil
Associate Professor in Stem Cells and Developmental Biology, Deputy Director of Postgraduate Studies

Dr Franchesca Houghton is Associate Professor in Stem Cells and Developmental Biology within Medicine at the University of Southampton.
Dr Houghton was appointed to a Senior Lectureship in the Centre for Human Development, Stem Cells & Regeneration in 2008 having been a Lecturer since 2006. Previously she held a Wellcome Trust Research Career Development Fellowship entitled “Nutrition of the Mammalian Preimplantation Embryo” which she transferred from the University of York to the University of Southampton in 2005. Dr Houghton completed her DPhil in 1997 at the University of York working on the energy metabolism of early mouse embryos. She obtained Post Doctoral experience at the University of Western Ontario, Canada where she investigated the assembly and role of gap junctions in development and cellular homeostasis using connexin43 null mutant mice. This was followed by a further Post Doctoral position at the University of York where she studied the nutrition of the mammalian preimplantation embryo.
Dr Houghton leads a research group with 2 main foci:
1) Understanding the molecular mechanisms which regulate different types of stem cell.
2) Investigating the Biochemistry of mammalian preimplantation embryo development.
Dr Houghton’s research laboratory is based within the Faculty of Medicine campus and comprises both clinical and non-clinical scientists and postgraduate students. Those interested in joining her group either as potential students, Post Doctoral, or Clinical scientists are encouraged to contact Dr Houghton.
Qualifications
BSc(Hons) Biomedical Sciences, University of Wolverhampton 1993
DPhil Biology, University of York, 1997
Appointments held
Post Doctoral Research Fellow, Department of Physiology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada. 1997-1999
Post Doctoral Research Fellow, Department of Biology, University of York. 1999-2002
Wellcome Trust Research Career Development Fellow, Department of Biology, University of York. 2002-2005
Wellcome Trust Research Career Development Fellow, School of Medicine, University of Southampton. 2005-2006
Lecturer, School of Medicine, University of Southampton. 2006-2008
Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton. 2008-present