Diagram represents a network of applications by Institute for Life Sciences Members for collaborative projects.
Institute for Life Sciences

Our people

Our strength lies in our interdisciplinary collaborative network which is made up of over 430 academic members from across all the University’s faculties.

Professor Phyllis Lam

Professor

Research interests

  • Dr. Lam's research interest lies in the functional roles of microorganisms in biogeochemical cycling, particularly the nitrogen and carbon cycles, in diverse marine and aquatic systems. In collaboration with researchers inside and outside the university, her work integrates state-of-the-art molecular ecological techniques, stable isotopic analyses, process rate measurements, hypothesis-driven experimentation and modelling, to disentangle complex microbial interactions and their impacts on biogeochemical environments especially in the context of global change.
  • Current research topics include:
  • Shortcuts in the nitrogen cycle – novel pathways and microbial players for nitrogen remineralisation in the ocean’s twilight zoneMicrobial carbon remineralisation pathways and fluxes in the mesopelagic oceanUsing proteomics tools to disentangle active microbial nitrogen and carbon cycling processes in oceanic oxygen minimum zonesImportance of particle-associated microeukaryotes on the efficiency of oceanic biological carbon pumpMicrobial production and consumption pathways of greenhouse gases
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Professor Prof. Matt Mowlem

Professor
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Mrs Rachel Dadswell

Principal Teaching Fellow
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Dr Rafael Mestre PhD, MSc, BSc

Lecturer

Research interests

  • Responsible Research and Innovation of emergent technologies
  • Multimodal machine learning and Natural Language Processing
  • Computational social science

Accepting applications from PhD students

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Dr Rahman Attar SMIEEE, MIET, FHEA, PhD, MPhil, BEng

Lecturer

Accepting applications from PhD students

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Dr Rahul Tare

Lecturer

Research interests

  • Human stem cell biology
  • Skeletal development
  • Regenerative Medicine strategies for cartilage repair

Accepting applications from PhD students

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Professor Raimund Ober

Prof of Imaging & Biomedical Engineering
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Dr Ralph Gordon BSc, MSc, PhD, FHEA

Lecturer in Skin Sensing Research

Research interests

  • Thermal and exercise physiology
  • Adaptation to different thermal environments
  • Neuromuscular function

Accepting applications from PhD students

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Professor Ratko Djukanovic

Professor of Medicine

Research interests

  • Professor Djukanovic has a lifelong interest in asthma, especially its severe forms. where his focus is on: 1) underlying pathobiological mechanisms of asthma, 2) stratification of asthma into clinical phenotypes and mechanism-based endotypes, 3) unmet needs of severe asthma management. He also has an interest in the mechanisms and treatments of severe viral infections of the lung.
  • Underlying mechanisms of asthma: Professor Djukanovic has conducted pioneer studies into the pathology of asthma, applying research bronchoscopy  (with endobronchial biopsy and bronchoalveolar lavage) and sputum induction. He led the initial task forces which defined the use of these two techniques, thereby paving the way for standardised research approches that enabled in-depth descriptions of the roles of various inflammatory cells and their mediators. He developed an explant model, consisting of bronchial biopsies placed into tissue culture, that could be stimulated ex vivo with relevant triggers, applying as needed, novel agents not yet approved for in vivo use in humans volunteers. 
  • Stratification of asthma into clinical phenotypes and mechanism-based endotypes: Professor Djukanovic led the discovery of biomarkers using omics technology (transcriptomics, proteomics, lipidomics, breathomics). After the first ever study of transcriptomics biomarkers in the epithelium of patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), together with a colleague from Amsterdam and two colleagues from Imperial College, London, he created a large (€27 milllion) programme for severe asthma (U-BIOPRED), funded by the EU Innovative Medicines Initiative. This has resulted in more than 100 publications, providing insight into novel phenotypes and endotypes of asthma.
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Professor Rebecca Hoyle

Assoc Vice-President Interdisc Research

Research interests

  • Multimorbidity across the lifecourse
  • Cooperation in social networks and evolution of cooperation
  • Quantitative genetics of transgenerational effects

Accepting applications from PhD students

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