Molecular and Cell Biology PhD/MPhil – (Ph.D.)

Contents

Research within the Molecular and Cell Biology (MCB) Research Theme focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying cellular processes within a variety of physiological contexts in a range of eukaryotic organisms.

Research in the theme is divided into number of core areas; cell signalling and trafficking; neurobiology; eukaryotic gene expression and development molecular structures; genetics, plant development and cell biology, systems biology of eukaryotes and toxicology. These areas are strongly interrelated and many research projects bridge between these subdivisions.

Collectively, members of the MCB theme possess expertise in a broad spectrum of techniques. This facilitates the development of multi-disciplinary approaches to studying of the molecular basis of complex cellular phenomena. In addition, there are well-established MCB collaborations with other research themes, across the University campus including the Medical School and with leading academic and industrial laboratories in the UK and overseas.

The theme's research is underpinned by state of the art technology including advanced microscopy, genomics and new generation sequencing plus a wide range of cutting-edge biophysical techniques including mass spectrometry, FT-IR, CD, LD, NMR and analytical ultracentrifugation.



Research interests of staff

* Telomere dynamics in meiosis, molecular cytogenetics of Arabidopsis and crop species Contact: Dr Sue Armstrong
Tel: +44 (0)121 414 6485
Email: s.j.armstrong@bham.ac.uk
* Pre-mRNP assembly and messenger RNA surveillance Contact: Dr Saverio Brogna
Tel: +44 (0)121 414 5569
Email: s.brogna@bham.ac.uk
* Development of novel strategies for treatment of haematological and lymphoid malignancies Contact: Dr Chris Bunce
Tel: +44 (0)121 414 3770
Email: c.m.bunce@bham.ac.uk
* Cell toxicology, molecular mechanisms and ecotoxicology Contact: Professor Kevin Chipman
Tel: +44 (0)121 414 5422/5420
Email: j.k.chipman@bham.ac.uk
* Evolution of developmental signalling pathways in Arabidopsis and moss Contact: Dr Juliet Coates
Tel: +44 (0)121 414 5478
Email: j.c.coates@bham.ac.uk
* Characterisation of post-translational modifications of proteins involved in signal transduction by mass spectrometry Contact: Dr Helen Cooper
Tel: +44 (0)121 414 7527
Email: h.j.cooper@bham.ac.uk
* Inositol phospholipids in yeast Contact: Dr Steve Dove
Tel: +44 (0)121 414 5415
Email: s.k.dove@bham.ac.uk
* Analysis of large-scale gene expression microarrays Contact: Dr Francesco Falciani
Tel: +44 (0)121 414 5400
Email: f.falciani@bham.ac.uk
* Molecular control of meiotic recombination in Arabidopsis and barley Contact: Professor Chris Franklin
Tel: +44 (0)121 414 5910
Email: f.c.h.franklin@bham.ac.uk
* Signalling networks involved in pollen tube growth regulation, self-incompatibility and programmed cell death Contact: Professor Noni Franklin-Tong
Tel: +44 (0)121 414 3702
Email: v.e.franklin-tong@bham.ac.uk
* Infection structures of biotrophic fungal pathogens; pathogenicity genes Contact: Dr Jon Green
Tel: +44 (0)121 414 5574
Email: j.r.green@bham.ac.uk
* Growth factors; receptors; vertebrate development Contact: Professor John Heath
Tel: +44 (0)121 414 7533/5402
Email: j.k.heath@bham.ac.uk
* Development of Drosophila nervous system Contact: Dr Alicia Hidalgo
Tel: +44 (0)121 414 5400
Email: a.hidalgo@bham.ac.uk
* Genetic toxicity; oxidative stress; DNA repair Contact: Dr Nik Hodges
Tel: +44 (0)121 414 3386
Email: n.hodges@bham.ac.uk
* Rho GTPases; cell adhesion; epithelial cells Contact: Dr Neil Hotchin
Tel: +44 (0)121 414 5412/7035
Email: n.a.hotchin@bham.ac.uk
* Theoretical quantitative and population genetics and dissection of genetic architecture underlying polygenic traits in yeast Contact: Dr Zewei Luo
Tel: +44 (0)121 414 5404
Email: z.luo@bham.ac.uk
* Calcium: signalling, homeostasis, ATPase; IP3 and ryanodine receptors Contact: Dr Frank Michelangeli
Tel: +44 (0)121 414 5398/5394
Email: f.michelangeli@bham.ac.uk
* Pterin metabolism and neurological disease Contact: Dr Anne Pheasant
Tel: +44 (0)121 414 5409
Email: a.e.pheasant@bham.ac.uk
* Quantitative genetics and breeding of crop plants Contact: Dr Harpal Pooni
Tel: +44 (0)121 414 5883
Email: h.s.pooni@bham.ac.uk
* Signal transduction in sperm and human fertility Contact: Dr Steve Publicover
Tel: +44 (0)121 414 5455
Email: s.j.publicover@bham.ac.uk
* Vesicle trafficking and cell motility Contact: Dr Josh Rappoport
Tel: +44 (0)121 414 9019
Email: j.rappoport@bham.ac.uk
* Structure/function studies on mammalian and plant dehydrogenases implicated in stress, obesity and leukaemia Contact: Dr Jon Ride
Tel: +44 (0)121 414 6566
Email: j.p.ride@bham.ac.uk
* Integrating chromatin structure and global chromosome dynamics Contact: Dr Eugenio Sanchez-Moran
Tel: +44 (0)121 414 5917
Email: e.sanchezmoran@bham.ac.uk
* Muscle disease and ageing; myogenesis; stem/gene therapy: transgenic models Contact: Dr Janet Smith
Tel: +44 (0)121 414 5576
Email: j.smith.20@bham.ac.uk
* Post-transcriptionally controlled gene networks in neuronal development and function Contact: Dr Matthias Soller
Tel: +44 (0)121 414 5905
Email: m.soller@bham.ac.uk
* Liver metabolism Contact: Professor Alastair Strain
Tel: +44 (0)121 414 3669
Email: a.j.strain@bham.ac.uk
* Regulation of platelet and endothelial cell surface receptors by tetraspanin microdomains Contact: Mike Tomlinson
Tel: +44 (0)121 414 2507
Email: m.g.tomlinson@bham.ac.uk
* Metabolomic approaches for characterising molecular responses to environmental stress Contact: Dr Mark Viant
Tel: +44 (0)121 414 2219
Email: m.viant@bham.ac.uk
* G-protein-coupled receptors; peptide hormones Contact: Professor Mark Wheatley
Tel: +44 (0)121 414 3981/5394
Email: m.wheatley@bham.ac.uk
* Understanding cellular organisation at the atomic level Contact: Dr Peter Winn
Tel: +44 (0)121 414 8852
Email: p.j.winn@bham.ac.uk

Faculty

The School of Biosciences provides specialist training and conducts fundamental and applied research in a wide spectrum of biological and biochemical fields.

We are proud to deliver outstanding undergraduate and postgraduate education that offers exciting and varied career opportunities.

The largest biology School in the midlands region, we deliver internationally excellent teaching and research across the broad span of modern biology. We host a broadly-based international community of 900 undergraduates, 250 postgraduates and 300 part time students.

The School of Biosciences has an excellent research profile with 90% assessed as international quality, supporting an exciting range of teaching programmes.

Research in the School is focused into three broad and interlinked groupings: each grouping represents areas of research excellence in human, animal, plant, microbial, cell and molecular biology.

The School has major high-technology facilities for research in genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, structural biology and optical imaging.