Researchers
Mercedes Beyna. A platform to investigate the neuronal determinants of APOE genotype on neuron function (part-time PhD 2017-2023). Mercedes was a full-time employee at Biogen while completing her PhD. She led the several widening participation and DEI initiatives and contributed to the National Diversity in Stem conference (2022).
Dianne Marquez Lopez. Investigating the mechanisms of tau secretion across neuronal networks in health and disease (PhD 2018-2022). Dianne contributed to the Black and Minority Ethnic Engineers Next Generation programme (2021). She moved on to a post-doctoral position at the Dementia Research Institute, Edinburgh.
Connor Maltby. Regulation of translation and subcellular localisation of neuronal mRNAs by G-quadruplex structures (PhD student 2016-2020). Connor was awarded best talk at the Postgraduate Symposium (2019). Connor bridged large parts of 2020 putting his skills into practice with the NHS, performing and developing COVID-19 tests, before moving on to pursue his postdoctoral career at Ann Arbor, University of Michigan.
Aleksandra Pitera. Investigating neuronal responses in tau-mediated neurodegeneration (PhD student 2016-2019). Aleks acted as Local Group Student Representative for the BNA (2017-18). She was awarded the Dean’s Prize for Outreach and Engagement (2018) and the Life Science Paper Prize at the Postgraduate Symposium (2019). She moved on to pursue her postdoctoral studies at the LMB, Cambridge.
Grace Hallinan. Neurotraffic: Orientated networks to investigate tau propagation (PhD student 2014-17, postdoctoral researcher 2017-18). Grace was awarded the Poster Prize at LSNeuron (2016), the Postgraduate Symposium (2016) and the Southampton Neuroscience Group (SoNG) Conference (2016), the Research Excellence with Impact Award at the Postgraduate Symposium (2016), the Dick Bell Prize for Communication at the Alzheimer’s Research UK conference (2017) and best talk at the Postgraduate Symposium (2017). She moved on to pursue her postdoctoral studies at the Indiana University School of Medicine.
Prutha Patel. Spatio-temporal properties of neurotrophin signalling in tauopathy (PhD student 2014-2018). Prutha was awarded the Interdisciplinary Poster Prize at the Southampton Neuroscience Group (SoNG) Conference (2016). She moved on to work for Havas Just::.
Joanne Bailey. Investigating long distance BDNF signalling (postdoctoral research fellow 2014-17). Jo was awarded the Poster Prize at the Southampton Neuroscience Group (SoNG) Conference (2015), the Dean’s Prizes for Citizenship and Outreach (2015), and acts as Early Career Representative for the BNA (2016-17). She moved on to work at PRA Health Sciences.
Visiting researchers
Alessandro Soloperto. Development of and engineered version of a mechano-sensitive ion channel for the targeted modulation of neuronal activity through ultrasound stimulation (2016/17; Visiting PhD student from the Difato lab, IIT Genova, IT; in collaboration with Dario Carugo)
Manuel Dominguez Rodriguez. The role of hydrogen sulfide in the autonomic and central nervous system (2015/16; Visiting PhD student from MedUni Wien, AT; in collaboration with Vincent O’Connor)
Jessica Rigolon. Investigating brain UPR and ER stress related responses in a model of fronto-temporal dementia (2015; Science without Borders exchange student, Federal University of Sao Paulo, Brazil; in collaboration with Vincent O’Connor)
Alexandre Cywinski. Arraying neurons to reconstruct miniature circuits (2014; ERASMUS exchange student, University of Mons, BE, in collaboration with Jonathan West; now Research Associate at Baxter International)
Project and summer students
Kimia Malekian-Esfahani: TrkB signaling in tauopathy (2022/23)
Daniel Callaghan: The role of ATF3 and its splice variants in tauopathy (2022/23)
Rehana Fernandopoulle: The role of Gadd45a the variant ∆3a in tauopathies (2022/23)
Madelaine Hart: Investigating Gadd45a splice variants (2022/23)
Georgia Boothe: Investigating mechanisms of synaptic protein homoestasis – what ubiquitinates SNAP-25? (2022; supported by a British Society for Cell Biology Summer Vacation Studentship award; contributor to the BNA Bulletin)
Cerys Roberts: Localising Gadd45 splice variants (2022)
Parinaz Abedi: Presynaptic ubiquitin ligases (2021/2022)
Riya Goel: Presynaptic ubiquitin ligases (2021/22)
Matthew Prince: The role of Gadd45 splice variants in neurodegeneration
Annie Suenfa: The role of ATF3 splice variants in tauopathy
Emily Cubbon: Identifying regulators of TrkB trafficking (2020/21; contributor to the BNA Bulletin)
Chloe King: Regulators of TrkB trafficking (2020/21)
Kirsten Williamson: Investigating GADD45a splicing in neurons (2019/20)
Sarah Kelly: Characterisation of tau aggregation (2019/20)
Jessica Gildemann: The effect of mutant tau on BDNF-TrkB signalling (2018/19)
Alex Thomas: Regulators of TrkB trafficking and turnover (2018/19)
Philip Gebing: The effect of neuronal stress responses on neurite extension (2018/19)
Oye Ohemeng Owusu: What are the molecular mechanisms regulating neuronal sensitivity to BDNF? (2018; supported by the Wellcome Trust Biomedical Vacation Scholarship)
Sarah Kelly: Is tau dysfunction activating shared stress signalling pathways across different tissues? (2018)
Mariam Ogunwale: Investigating the endosomal system in tauopathy (2017/18)
Molly Andrews: A closer look at the axonal initial segment in tauopathy (2017/18)
Marlene Hill: Expression of TrkB in TauP301L expressing neurons (2017/18)
Sofia Green: Effects of expressing the tau P301L mutation on the secretory machinery (2017)
Lizzie Southam: At what stage do tau aggregates formed in culture turn Thioflavin-positive? (2017)
Jessica Gildemann: Is BDNF signalling altered in a tau mutant background? (2017)
Noviann McLean: Identifying cellular injury responses in tau-mediated neuronal degeneration (2017; supported by the Cayman Islands Scholarship)
Shivani Patel: Is dendritic morphology altered in culture models of tauopathy? (2016)
Chris Stretton: Generating RFP-tau to investigate cellular mechanisms of tau pathology (2016)
Thomas Hallam: p75NTR induction in response to oxidative stress (2015/16; contributor to BNA Bright Brains)
Annabelle Croft: p75NTR induction in response to hypoxia (2015/16)
Christina Alvarado: Temporal activation profiles of BDNF downstream signalling pathways (2015/16)
Ellie Rhymes: Differential responses of glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons to BDNF (2015/16)
William Monteith: Investigating cellular mechanisms of tau propagation (2015; supported by the John W Caddick Vacation Scholarship; contributor to BNA Bright Brains)
Isabella Muras-Struglinski: Is BDNF signalling altered in a tau mutant background? (2015; Biochemical Society Vacation Scholarship awarded)
Katie Askew: Differential responses of glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons to BDNF (2014/15; SoNG prize for best Masters dissertation 2015)
Rose Cross: p75NTR induction in culture (2014/15)
Emanuela Howard: Regulators of TrkB trafficking (2014/15)
Matthew Cotton: Mechanistic investigation of TrkB turnover (2014/15)
Aurore Bunga: Mechanistic investigation of TrkB trafficking (2013/14)
Emma Cufley: Regulators of BDNF secretion (2013/14)
Alexandra Stebbings: Mechanistic investigation of TrkB trafficking (2013)