New Appointments

Meet Dr Indrani Mukhopadhya 

What brought you to the University?

I initially joined the University of Aberdeen as a post-doc in 2013 after completing my PhD in medical microbiology. I have enjoyed working here and have found a very supportive and close-knit environment that fosters collaborative and interdisciplinary research. The proximity and close links to NHS Grampian, which would be key to my research programme, also make it an ideal place for setting up my own research lab.

Tell us about your role and what you hope to achieve here.

My research interest lies is in the interface of gut microbiology and immunology. My lab will focus on studying the molecular mechanisms of host-pathogen interactions, immune response, and pathogenicity of gut microbes, with a specific emphasis on enteric viruses, in order to prevent and treat enteric diseases using novel therapeutics. I look forward to interdisciplinary collaborations in areas where perturbation of the gut microbiota has been documented but studies in gut viruses are lacking.

Meet Dr Emilie Hollville

What brought you to the University?

I’m a neurobiologist, and I studied at Trinity College Dublin and at the University of North Carolina. I joined the University of Aberdeen as I felt the IMS was a wonderful research environment to establish my lab. The diversity of the research themes and the cooperative culture at the IMS are excellent conditions for a new investigator to establish and grow as a researcher.

Tell us about your role and what you hope to achieve here.

My lab will be studying how the programmed cell death pathways intersect with neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental disorders. We will particularly focus on understanding how disease-associated genes affect neuronal development and neuronal survival. I am really looking forward to develop my network at the IMS and establish a stimulating training environment for the students in Medical Sciences.

Meet Dr Hajime Murakami

What brought you to the University?

I study meiosis to understand the fundamental principles of cellular systems creating robustness. I am pleased that my interaction with outstanding chromosome biologists at the IMS has led me to start my group as an MRC Fellow.

Tell us about your role and what you hope to achieve here.

Production of gametes (eggs and sperm) involves massive genome fragmentation followed by accurate resealing of the genome, in the process known as meiotic recombination. Combining molecular biology, genomics, and proteomics, we strive to delineate how cells complete this seemingly reckless meiotic recombination process without mishaps.

Meet Dr Mike Morgan

What brought you to the University?

My career to date has spanned both experimental and computational research. The university, IMS and its position on the Foresterhill hospital campus strikes me as a place that fosters exactly the type of interdisciplinary research that I pursue. I am excited about the future prospect of building my lab in such an environment.

Tell us about your role and what you hope to achieve here.

My group will be focused on unravelling the genetic regulation of cell interactions in the mammalian immune system, which builds on my training in autoimmunity genetics and computational biology, using novel computational algorithms that we develop. I am looking forward to collaborating with other research groups in the institute, and across the university, to champion interdisciplinary approaches to solving the most pressing biomedical problems facing us in the 21st century.

Meet Dr Derek Garden

What brought you to the University?

In my previous position at the University of Edinburgh, I investigated the cellular and circuit properties that underlie spatial navigation and learned behaviours. I wanted to establish my lab here due to the excellent research environment within the Institute for Medical Sciences.

Tell us about your role and what you hope to achieve here.

My research will focus on trying to understand whether the large number of genes linked to autism spectrum disorders converge on common pathways and pathologies in neurons.

Meet Dr Tara Sutherland

What brought you to the University?

Originally from Australia, I moved to the UK to develop my Immunology research career.  After positions in Edinburgh & Manchester, I have now joined Aberdeen as a Lecturer. Aberdeen has a fantastic research environment covering all aspects of basic biology to clinical and health sciences. I was struck by the friendly, extremely supportive nature of the research & teaching communities here and I can’t wait to grow and develop my own career and group within IMS

Tell us about your role and what you hope to achieve here.

I’m really looking forward to contributing to biomedical science teaching & training programmes. As a research group, we are particularly focussed on the interactions that occur in the lung between immune cells and the extracellular matrix, something fundamental for healthy organs. We hope to uncover novel Immuno-matrix pathways that can be targeted to treat lung disease.

Meet Dr Silvia Mazzotta

What brought you to the University?

I first joined the University of Aberdeen in 2012 as a PhD student, investigating the molecular mechanisms underlying human heart development. The university welcomed me, and it felt like home from the very first moment, so I am delighted to be back.

Tell us about your role and what you hope to achieve here.

I am rejoining the University as a Teaching Fellow in the Institute of Medical Sciences.  Throughout my years in research, I discovered a passion for helping people succeed.  With this passion and my breadth of scientific knowledge, I aim to contribute to the achievement of the highest possible standards in biomedical education at the University.

Meet Dr Patrick Cao

What brought you to the University?

I have been a post-Doc at the University since 2012.  In this supportive environment and with great connections to the hospital, our team solved the riddle of how sickle cell anaemia and sickle-malaria resistance are connected. 

Tell us about your role and what you hope to achieve here.

I look forward to joining the excellent teaching community here.  I am fascinated by the role sugar binding immune lectins play in immune modulation.  I hope to further unlock the complex linguist code of sugars in immunology and to provide new translational drug targets.

Meet Dr Jenna Gregory

What brought you to the University?

I studied preclinical medicine at St Andrews University before completing my clinical training and undertaking my PhD at the University of Cambridge. Following this I moved to the University of Edinburgh to train as a pathologist and was recently appointed as a Clinical Lecturer at the University of Aberdeen. Aberdeen has an exceptional tissue bioresource as well as local expertise in human pathology, making it the ideal location for the human-tissue based research programme carried out by my lab. Our research focuses on the molecular mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative diseases with a particular focus on motor neuron disease.

Tell us about your role and whot you hope to achieve here.

My research group, based in the Institute of Medical Sciences, is interested in utilising deeply clinically phenotyped human tissue to explore the molecular and cellular underpinnings of non-central nervous system manifestations of neurodegenerative diseases. We are particularly interested in the gut and how this organ can influence neurological conditions like motor neuron disease.