Steve Busby is currently the Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Birmingham. After studying Biochemistry as an undergraduate at the University of Cambridge, Steve moved to Oxford for his doctoral studies, supervised by George Radda. Since his appointment in Birmingham, his research has focussed on the molecular mechanisms that control gene expression in bacteria, with particular attention to studying the regulation of transcript initiation in Escherichia coli. Recently, this work has concentrated on applications of bacterial regulatory circuits to biotechnology, and understanding the expression of virulence determinants in pathogenic strains. As well as running his research group in Birmingham, Steve has served as both Head of School and Dean of Science. Steve has had a long association with the Biochemical Society and was a trustee from 2011-2016, when he served as vice-Chair, and then Chair, of the Society. Steve was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2005, and he is also a Fellow of both the American and the European Academies of Microbiology. 

Professor Richard Reece is the Deputy Vice Chancellor of Education and Student Experience and Professor of Molecular Biology at the University of Kent. He read biochemistry at The University of Leeds and did his PhD work, studying the mechanism of action of a class of bacterial enzymes called DNA topoisomerases, at the University of Leicester. Upon completion of his PhD, he spent five years undertaking post-doctoral work at Harvard University, before returning to the UK as a lecturer, senior lecturer and then professor at The University of Manchester. He moved to the University of Kent in 2020 to take up the role of Deputy Vice Chancellor.

Richard oversees the Education and Student Experience Strategy at Kent, which underpins one of the three key strategic objectives in the University Plan and looks after two large directorates - Education and Student Services. He joined the University Council as a member in August 2020 and serves as the Chair of the Board of KMTV. He chairs the University’s Sustainability Steering Group who are responsible for implementation of sustainability across the university. 

Richard’s research interests focus on the molecular mechanisms by which cells are able to alter their patterns of gene expression in response to metabolic changes in the environment. This work has involved a mixture of molecular biology, biochemistry, genetics and structural biology. He is deeply committed to raising the standards of teaching quality across higher education - both in the UK and across the world - and to promoting the public understanding of science. 

Nicholas' research aims to identify the causes of one of the greatest healthcare challenges facing global society: the obesity pandemic. He leverages population human genetics and preclinical models to identify and develop potential new therapeutic targets for “civilisation diseases” associated with obesity, such as type 2 diabetes that are further driven by our advancing population age. Nicholas works with government, charity, education/public engagement, and industry stakeholders.

Pat is the Johnston Chair of Biochemistry, Professor of Cell Signalling and Head of the Department of Biochemistry, Cell and Systems Biology at the University of Liverpool. He obtained an undergraduate degree in Biochemistry at the University of Bristol, and completed his PhD with Sir Philip Cohen at the University of Dundee in 2000. After 4 years of postdoctoral research in the USA with the late Jim Maller, he set up his laboratory in the UK with an MRC Career Development Fellowship in 2005. His interests include all aspects of protein phosphorylation and sulfation, redox-based analysis of protein kinase and sulfotransferase regulation, pseudokinases and pseudoenzymes and kinome-wide mechanisms of acquired drug resistance in cells. He also teaches cell signalling, running modules explaining the biochemical mechanisms underpinning cell communication. In 2022, he spun-out the biotech company Sulantrix from the University of Liverpool, with a goal of developing a new generation of anti-cancer agents targeting pseudoenzymes such as pseudokinases.

Laura Rosenberg is the Director of Target Validation within Discovery Sciences at AstraZeneca Cambridge. A cell biologist by training, Laura has over 12 years' experience leading cross-discipline teams focused on the translation of novel and complex biology into drug discovery impact. Since 2021, her group at Astrazeneca has focused on the delivery of novel oncology targets to the pipeline driven by the belief that an enhanced understanding of disease/disease mechanism is required for effective drug discovery and to enhance chance of clinical success. During her time at AZ, Laura has contributed to shaping the Functional Genomics strategy, utilizing this approach to drive deeper understanding of drug response, guide patient selection, inform rationale combinations and identify strategies to overcome resistance. Prior to joining AstraZeneca, Laura led a bioscience team at Cancer Research Horizons where she played a pivotal role in the establishment of industry partnered alliances. Here she worked closely with the CRUK academic network to deliver and progress numerous target opportunities, leading both bioscience and multi-disciplinary projects teams from concept to candidate. Laura is a member of the ELRIG General Committee, The Biochemical Society Awards Committee, a PhD supervisor (Univ. Cambridge) and currently sits on the SAB for Worldwide Cancer Research.

After doing a BSc in Biochemistry at Imperial College and a PhD at University College London, Ian took a post-doctoral position at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla to investigate regulation of gene expression brought about by cell adhesion. Ian returned to University College London to continue his focus on gene regulation and then obtained a fellowship at the University of Leeds to start his own research group and expanded his interest to encompass chromatin regulation and epigenetics. Ian is currently Professor of Molecular Neuroscience and has an interest in regulation of gene expression and the modulation of chromatin in the ageing and diseased brain.

Keywords: Neuroscience, Gene regulation, Epigenetics, Neurodegeneration

Maria Luisa S. Sequeira-Lopez, MD. FAHA, is the Harrison Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics and Biology at the University of Virginia. Dr. Sequeira-Lopez received her MD from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina (1990), completed a Pediatric Residency (1994) and Fellowship (1997) at the Hospital Garrahan, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Next, she joined the University of Virginia, School of Medicine, USA (1998) for a postdoctoral training in kidney development and renin cell differentiation and obtained a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Postdoctoral Fellowship, followed by continuous funding from the National Institute of Health. Her research program examines the fundamental contributions of kidney vascular development to disease and regeneration with a special focus on renin cells. She identified the earliest progenitors for all cells in the kidney vasculature and the mechanism whereby they differentiate into renin cells, smooth muscle cells, and endothelial cells. Her work has demonstrated a crucial role of kidney vascular progenitors in tissue regeneration with enormous implications in kidney disease and hypertension.

Keywords: Renin-angiotensin aldosterone system, cell fate, cell plasticity, vascular development, regeneration, epigenetics.

Dr Emily Flashman is currently Associate Professor of Molecular Plant Science in the Department of Biology, University of Oxford. Emily gained her B.Sc. in Biochemistry at the University of Southampton, conducting research with Prof. Keith Fox on triple helix DNA. She then gained her D.Phil. in the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine in Oxford investigating interactions between heart muscle proteins and how these are impacted by disease-causing mutations. She then moved to the Department of Chemistry in Oxford where she conducted post-doctoral research with Prof. Chris Schofield on the structure and mechanism of human oxygen-sensing enzymes. Emily started her independent career with a Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship, with which she transitioned to studying plant oxygen-sensing enzymes and their role in adaptive responses to flooding. She now holds a position in the Department of Biology where she continues her work on plant enzymes involved in stress sensing and how these might be engineered for improved stress tolerance.

Keywords: Enzyme kinetics, Protein engineering, Oxygenases, Hypoxia

Sarah is a Professor in RNA Biology at Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS), University of Sussex. Sarah was educated at the University of Edinburgh (B.Sc (Hons) in Biological Sciences) and then completed a PhD at the University of Leeds. After that she carried out postdoctoral research at the University of Dundee (Department of Biochemistry) where she moved into the field of RNA stability and gene expression. She was awarded a Royal Society Fellowship which she used to carry out independent research at the University of Portsmouth before continuing with her research as a Lecturer at the Universities of Oxford (Dept. Biochemistry) and Newcastle (Cell and Molecular Biosciences) before moving to BSMS at the University of Sussex in 2007. Sarah has undertaken a number of roles at BSMS including Director of Doctoral Studies, Early Career Research Lead and Director of Research. Sarah’s research aims to understand the molecular control of RNA degradation and how this impacts upon development, disease and cellular mechanisms. She has also been involved in identifying microRNAs in circulating blood which may be useful as prognostic or diagnostic biomarkers. In collaborative research, she is also interested in the RNA-binding proteins associated with progress on Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML).

Keywords:

“RNA Biology”, RNA turnover, long non-coding RNAs, microRNAs, Drosophila development, exoribonucleases, microRNA biomarkers.

Dr Femi Olorunniji is an Associate Professor in Synthetic Biology with research interest in the structure and reaction mechanisms of site-specific recombinases, enzymes responsible for catalysing DNA rearrangements within the genome and transmission of mobile genetic elements. He completed his doctoral and postdoctoral research at the University of Glasgow before starting his research group at Liverpool John Moores University in 2017. Femi's current research work is focused on mechanisms and regulation of large serine recombinases and their application as genome editing tools.

Keywords: Synthetic Biology, Bioinformatics, Genome Editing, Protein Engineering.

Dr Nixon-Abell is a Principal Investigator at the Cambridge Institute for Medical Research. Jonathon obtained a joint PhD from University College London (London, UK) and the National Institutes of Health (Bethesda, USA), before working as an ORISE and HHMI visiting postdoctoral fellow at HHMI Janelia (Ashburn, USA). Jonathon returned to the UK as a Sir Henry Wellcome Fellow at the University of Cambridge, before setting up his lab as a Wellcome Career Development Award Fellow. His lab researches the molecular mechanisms underpinning organelle interactions and dynamics in neurons, and how these processes are corrupted in neurological diseases. 

Keywords:

Neurobiology, Cell biology, Neurodegeneration, Emerging technologies, Microscopy