People

Current Group Members

• Dr Jennifer Miles
  j.miles@leeds.ac.uk
  Jenny is a postdoctoral researcher with the Taylor Group. She received a PhD from UCL in July 2013 before working at Leeds for Prof Andrew Wilson and Dr Thomas Edwards on structural characterisation of PPI inhibitors. In August 2015 she began working with Prof Paul Taylor to establish his research group in the School of Chemistry at Leeds.
  Her project involves examining whether cyanobacteria can be used as a new model organism in which to study the origins of cell signalling. This involves assaying for the presence of signalling molecules in the bacteria, purifying bacterial orthologs and phylogenetic analysis to study possible events of lateral gene transfers.
• Sarah Atkinson (PhD)
  cm11sa@leeds.ac.uk
  Sarah is a second year PhD student with the Taylor Group. She received an integrated Masters degree (BSc, MChem) from University of Leeds in July 2015 before starting her project with the Taylor Group and Valirx Plc in October 2015.
  Her project involves looking at the impact of Alu retrotranspositional elements on the human genome and how these elements can result in the formation of new protein isoforms that may contribute to disease.
  Current work involves protein expression, bioinformatic analyses and the use of binding experiments such as SPR, ITC and fluorescence anisotropy.

Masters Students

• Charlotte Furze is investigating the cyanobacterial analogue, from Chlorogloeopsis fritschii, of carotenoid monooxygenase that is responsible for the oxidation of beta-carotene to retinal.
• David Nevin-Jones is investigating the cyanobacterial analogue, from Chlorogloeopsis fritschii, of human ALDH1A1 that is responsible for the oxidation of retinal to retinoic acid.
• Katharine Stoodley is studying the effect of different environmental conditions, such as low nitrate and low light, on the production of retinoic acid in cyanobacteria.

Past Group Members

• Sarah Ward
  Sarah was an MChem student with the Taylor Group from October 2015 - April 2016.
  Whilst with the group she researched the presence of prostoglandins in cyanobacteria.
  Sarah is now studying for her PhD at the University of Leeds with Dr. Richard Foster.
• Andrew Ramsdale
  Andrew was an MChem student with the Taylor Group from October 2015 - April 2016.
  Whilst with the group he researched the evolution of nitric oxide  in cyanobacteria.
• Jade Proctor
  Jade was an MChem student with the Taylor Group from October 2015 - April 2016.
  Whilst with the group she researched the presence of retinoic acid in cyanobacteria.
• Joshua Noble Pereira
  Joshua received his Bsc from Mahatma Gandhi University before coming to the University of Leeds to study for an MSc from October 2015 - September 2016.
  Whilst with the group he researched the bacterial origins of the human biological clock.
• Joseph Ingram
  Jo worked with the Taylor Group 2016-17 as part of the 4th year of his medicinal chemistry course, looking at the effect of Alu elements on the ASCC1 protein. He is now studying Medicine at Leeds.
• Thomas Eames
  Tom worked with the Taylor Group on his MChem project as part of the 4th year of his chemistry course, looking at the effect of Alu elements on the BCAS4 protein.
• Liam Maddison
  Liam gained EPSRC funding to carry out research during Summer 2017 on the presence of retinoic acid in cyanobacteria. Liam is now in his final year, doing his MChem research with Bruce Turnbull.

UGRL Students

• Aran Cowan
  Aran is part of the Undergraduate Research and Leadership (UGRL) scheme at the University of Leeds. He is currently in his fourth year of an integrated masters (MChem) in the School of Chemistry. When working with the group, Aran studies the presence of retinoic acid in cyanobacteria.