Grants Committee

The Grants Committee oversees the reviewing and allocation of funding for 12 grant schemes, working to ensure that the portfolio continues to reflect the needs of the entire molecular bioscience community, facilitating development and engagement opportunities for all representative groups.

Committees and Panels Executive Management Committee Finance Committee Audit Committee Awards Committee Conferences Committee Education, Training and Public Engagement Committee Nominations Panel Early Career Advisory Panel Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Advisory Panel Policy Advisory Panel Industry Advisory Panel Publications Committee Portland Press Limited Board

Grants Committee

Grants Committee Terms Of Reference

Grants Committee

9 members

Committee Chair / Barts Cancer Institute

Dr Stéphanie Kermorgant

Committee Chair

Barts Cancer Institute

Professor of Molecular Neuroscience / School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Leeds

Professor Ian Wood

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Professor of Molecular Neuroscience

School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Leeds

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 currently 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

Ordinary Member / University of Warsaw

Dr Joanna Kargul

Ordinary Member

University of Warsaw

Ordinary Member / Liverpool John Moores University

Dr Gavin McStay

Ordinary Member

Liverpool John Moores University

Reader in Cell and Molecular Biology / University of Portsmouth

Dr Sassan Hafizi

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Reader in Cell and Molecular Biology

University of Portsmouth

Sassan Hafizi studied for a BSc in Biochemistry at RHUL and a PhD in cardiovascular cell pharmacology from the NHLI, Imperial College London. His postdoctoral research took place at Lund University between 1999-2009 on the molecular/cellular mechanisms of the TAM receptor system. Sassan continued his research work as an independent investigator, until joining the University of Portsmouth in 2009 as a Senior Lecturer. Sassan is now a Reader in Cell and Molecular Biology at the same institution.

Keywords: Receptor tyrosine kinases, vitamin K-dependent proteins, cell signaling, glial cell biology, neuroinflammation

Ordinary Member / Nottingham Trent University

Dr Cristina Montiel-Duarte

Ordinary Member

Nottingham Trent University

Ordinary Member / University of Cambridge

Dr Helen Mott

Ordinary Member

University of Cambridge

Ordinary Member (Shadowing) / Swansea University Medical School

Professor Venkat Kanamarlapudi

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Ordinary Member (Shadowing)

Swansea University Medical School

Venkateswarlu Kanamarlapudi is a Professor of Molecular Cell Biology and Pharmacology at Swansea University Medical School. His current research focuses on understanding GPCR, inositol lipids- and small GTPases-mediated cell signalling in health and disease. Prof. Kanamarlapudi's group efforts have also been focused on the diagnosis & development of targeted therapy for pancreatic cancer & diabetes and the improvement of LVADs. He received PhD from the University of Sheffield and DSc from Swansea University and was elected as a fellow of many learned societies. He has engaged in professional societies (e.g. The Biochemical Society research committee 4 [cells] panel member 2008-2014 and research committee 5 [signalling] panel member 2019-24) and has hands-on experience in grant reviewing and on committees of funding organisations. Prof. Kanamarlapudi has served as a core member of the BBSRC Research Committee D in the past and has been serving currently as a pool member of the BBSRC Research Committee and a member of Health Care Research Wales (HCRW) PhD and research grant committees.

Keywords: Small GTPases, GPCR, inositol lipids, actin, live-cell imaging, cancer, cell signalling, GLP-1 and diabetes.

Ordinary Member (Shadowing) / Covenant University, Nigeria

Professor Emeka Iweala

Ordinary Member (Shadowing)

Covenant University, Nigeria

Emeka Iweala holds a B.Sc in Biochemistry from the Imo State University (Now Abia State University) and M.Sc and Ph.D in Biochemistry from the University of Nigeria. His doctoral research focused on the chemopreventive properties of Nigerian plants. He was a visiting research fellow under Prof Yingjun Zhang at the Kunming Institute of Botany, where he further examined the anticancer properties of other Nigerian plants. His current research focuses on the molecular studies of prostate and breast cancer in Nigerian patients. As director of research and chairman of the research committee at Covenant University, he had oversight of the review of funding support for research and publications and the development and implementation of research policies.