The University of Sheffield
Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology

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MBB Academic Staff Gallery

Professor Alastair Goldman - Head Of The Department

im-ashg-06.jpgGenetic and molecular analysis of DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair in yeast, especially how DSB repair is regulated in meiosis. Also mitotic DNA repair with the aim of determining how the cell ensures the DSB repair mode is least likely to cause genomic instability.

Prof Roger Anderson - Director of Studies

Dr Roger Anderson Genetic and molecular studies on the regulation of gene expression during development from amoeba to plasmodium in the slime mould Physarum polycephalum.

Prof Pete Artymiuk

Prof Pete Artymiuk Protein crystallography, protein folding and motifs, structural databases, structure refinement and analysis, solvent structure, molecular graphics.

Dr Patrick Baker

Dr Patrick Baker Use of protein crystallography to study the structure/function relationships in biological macromolecules.

Prof Mike Blackburn

Prof G M Blackburn Mechanism of phosphoryl transfer in kinases; transition states and transition state analogues

Prof Per Bullough

Prof P Bullough Interests include structure of protein assemblies by high resolution electron microscopy (cryoEM): bacterial endospores, cell surfaces and membrane protein complexes

Dr Jeremy Craven

Dr C J Craven The application of solution state NMR to study the structure, dynamics and interactions of proteins and ligands.

Dr Robert Fagan

FaganClostridium difficile is a spore forming, anaerobic, Gram positive bacterium which causes severe disease in patients following antibiotic treatment. My work focuses on the interaction between C. difficile and its host.

Dr Geoff Ford

Dr G C Ford Structural and functional studies on some redox proteins.

Prof Simon Foster

Prof S Foster Staphylococcus aureus pathogenicity and stress resistance. Bacterial cell wall structure, function and dynamics.

Em Prof Mike Fowler

Em Prof M Fowler Natural products of therapeutic interest, in particular those derived from plant cells.

Dr Jim Gilmour

Dr D J Gilmour Molecular biology of life in extreme environments, especially high salinity and low temperature environments. Bioremediation of polluted groundwater systems.

Prof Julie Gray

Dr Julie Gray The manipulation of plant gene expression to study the genetic control of plant signal transduction and developmental processes. Antisense gene expression to produce transgenic plants with targeted mutations is used to assign biological functions to unidentified cloned genes and also to further define the role of identified genes in planta.

Prof Jeff Green

Prof J Green The regulation of bacterial transcription in response to changes in oxygen availability, and to oxidative and nitrosative stress; iron-sulphur proteins as regulators; role of CRP-FNR family transcription factors in bacterial stress responses.

Em Prof John Guest FRS

Em Prof J Guest FRS Gene cloning and molecular genetic analysis of bacterial enzymes, regulatory proteins and multienzyme complexes. Control of gene expression by oxygen and metabolic activities of genetically-manipulated organisms.

Em Prof Pauline Harrison

Em Prof P Harrison Structure-function relationships in the iron-storage protein, ferritin. Structural and functional relationships among ferritins, di-manganese catalases and other dinuclear metal proteins.

Dr Ewald Hettema

Dr E Hettema Use of bakers' yeast, S. cerevisiae, to study membrane trafficking and membrane fission processes.

Prof David Hornby

DHornbyProtein and nucleic acid biochemistry.

Prof Peter Horton FRS

Prof P Horton Structure and function of photosynthetic membranes in plants: regulation of the light harvesting complexes; acclimation of photosynthesis to the changing environment; photosynthesis, abiotic stress and crop yield.

Prof Neil Hunter FRS - Krebs Chair in Biochemistry

Prof C N Hunter Biogenesis, structure and function of photosynthetic membrane proteins. The enzymology of the chlorophyll and carotenoid biosynthetic pathways

Dr Matt Johnson - Leverhulme Trust Research Fellow

Dr Matt JohnsonStructure and function of the higher plant photosynthetic membrane

Prof Dave Kelly

Prof D J Kelly Molecular biology and physiology of human pathogenic bacteria, particularly Heliobacter pylori and Campylobacter jejuni. Structure, function and mechanism of a novel class of bacterial periplasmic solute transport system.

Dr Stéphane Mesnage

smasnagesmall1Cell surface organisation of Gram-positive pathogens

Dr Phil Mitchell

Dr P J Mitchell The lab’s research addresses the nature of mRNA surveillance processes in eukaryotic cells. These are quality control systems that identify and degrade incorrectly transcribed, processed or assembled mRNAs.

Prof Anne Moir

Dr A Moir The molecular biology of spore germination in Bacillus subtilis and in the Bacillus cereus family, and the structure and assembly of coats and exosporium. The role of sigma M in the stress-resistance of vegetative cells of B. subtilis.

Dr Arthur Moir

Dr A J G Moir Protein/Peptide sequencing and synthesis. DNA sequencing & synthesis. Protein-protein recognition sites on the surface of the muscle protein actin.

Dr Lynda Partridge

Dr L J Partridge Human leucocyte antigens, specifically the structure/function of tetraspanins; monoclonal antibody technology. Analysis of human antibody responses using phase display.

Prof Peter Piper

Prof P W Piper Stress protein structure and function. Hsp90 molecular chaperone. Using yeast molecular genetics to study the stress protection mechanisms of ageing.

Prof Robert Poole - West Riding Chair in Microbiology

Prof R K Poole Bacterial physiology and molecular genetics, in particular respiration, nitric oxide metabolism and oxidative stress in Escherichia coli, respiratory pathways in pathogenic bacteria (especially Campylobacter and Salmonella sp.), bacterial haemoglobins, and mechanisms of transport of, and resistance to, metal ions.

Dr John Rafferty

Dr J B Rafferty Structural study of proteins and DNA primarily by X-ray crystallography and electron microscopy to gain 3-d insights of biological macromolecules and their assemblies. Structure and function relationships.

Prof David Rice - Harrison Chair in Structural Biology

Prof D W Rice Protein crystallography, protein crystallization; analysis of sequence homology; molecular graphics; enzyme structure and function; site-directed mutagenesis.

Dr Karim Sorefan

Blank mugshotMolecular mechanisms regulating plant development with a particular focus on linking miRNA and hormonal pathways

Dr Rosie Staniforth

Dr R A Staniforth Protein mis-folding and disease : the mechanism of anyloid formation.

Prof Peter Sudbery - Roper Chair in Genetics

Dr P E Sudbery The molecular and cellular biology of hyphal and pseuodhyphal morphogenesis in the human fungal pathogen Candidas albicans.

Dr Milton Wainwright

Dr M Wainwright Unusual aspects of microbiology. Involvement of microorganisms in ME and cancer. Isolation of microorganisms from the stratosphere. History of microbiology and public understanding of science.

Prof Jon Waltho - Gibson Chair in Biophysics

Prof J P Waltho Application of multidimensional NMR methods to solving protein structures, protein folding pathways and protein molecular recognition.

Dr Graham Warren

Dr G S Warren Allele variation and adaptation in forest trees.

Dr Don Watts

Dr D J Watts Mechanism of action of bisphosphonate drugs used to treat osteoporosis and tumoural bone disease

Prof Mike Williamson

Prof M P Williamson Protein structure determination by 2D and 3D NMR, and interactions with ligands. Methods for characterising protein mobility on multiple timescales.

Prof Stuart Wilson

Dr S A Wilson The regulation of Gene Expression in mammals. The transport of mRNA from the nucleus to the cytoplasm. Mechanisms of RNA interference. Large scale sequencing and gene function analysis in vertebrates.