Dr Matthew Jenner

Supervisor Details

Contact Details

Department of Chemistry, University of Warwick

Scientific Background

Research Interests

Research in the Jenner Lab focuses on the application of mass spectrometry, in combination with other analytical and structural techniques, to solve complex biological problems.

Our primary interest concerns the enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of polyketide and non-ribosomal peptide natural products – this includes a fundamental understanding of their structures, mechanisms and protein-protein interactions. Our key research themes are:

Enzymology of Polyketide Synthases and Non-Ribosomal Peptide Synthetases
Mapping Carrier Protein Interactions in Biosynthetic Systems
Genomics-Driven Natural Product Discovery & Biosynthetic Pathway Elucidation

Scientific Inspiration

Richard P. Feynman. His ability to distil complex ideas down to simple principles – truly ‘The Great Explainer’.

Research Groups

Jenner Group

Chemical, Structural and Synthetic Biology (CSSB) Cluster

Warwick Integrative Synthetic Biology Centre (WISB)

Supervision Style

In three words or phrases: Supportive, Adaptive, Organised.

Provision of Training

I take responsibility for technical training in the initial months. This provides a solid foundation for your lab work, leading to complete independence going forward.

Progression Monitoring and Management

I expect students to take ownership of their projects in order to drive the work forward. We will discuss progress and goals at regular weekly/monthly meetings (depending upon stage of PhD study), and I operate an ‘open door’ policy for troubleshooting.

Communication

I believe regular communication is important aspect to a good working relationship. I am contactable via e-mail/phone/in person during working hours, and do my best to be available outside of these hours if required. The lab has a WhatsApp group chat and MS Teams chat, which we regularly communicate over during the week and weekends. I am happy to discuss any issues that are impacting your ability to fulfil your potential, and give help and advice on such matters.

PhD Students can expect scheduled meetings with me:

In a group meeting

At least once per week

In year 1 of PhD study

At least once per week

In year 2 of PhD study

At least once per fortnight

In year 3 of PhD study

At least once per fortnight

These meetings will be mainly face to face or via video chat or telephone, and I am usually contactable for an instant response (if required) on every working day.

Work Pattern

Certain tasks in my lab need to occur at set times, and students need to be able to commit to a rota/timetable shared with other members of the team.

Notice Period for Feedback

I need at least 1 week’s notice to provide feedback on written work of up to 5000 words.

MIBTP Project Details

Current Projects (2025-26)

Primary supervisor for:

Reprogramming fungal polyketide synthases for the production of novel bioactive compounds

See the PhD Opportunities section to see if this project is currently open for applications via MIBTP.

Please Note: The main page lists projects via BBSRC Research Theme(s) quoted and then relevant Topic(s).

Reprogramming fungal polyketide synthases for the production of novel bioactive compounds

Secondary Supervisor(s): Dr Fabrizio Alberti

University of Registration: University of Warwick

BBSRC Research Themes:

Renewable Resources and Clean Growth (Industrial Biotechnology)
Understanding the Rules of Life (Microbiology, Structural Biology)

Project Outline

Fungal highly reducing polyketide synthases (hrPKSs) are remarkable megaenzymes that assemble a diverse range of structurally complex compounds, finding a wealth of applications in medicine and agriculture (e.g. lovastatin and strobilurins).¹ These hrPKSs closely resemble the mammalian fatty acid synthase (mFAS) in both domain architecture and catalysis.^2,3However, in contrast to mFAS, which produces exclusively saturated linear chains, hrPKSs introduce structural complexity into their products by programming the degree of β-carbon processing following each chain extension reaction. Recent work has suggested that the biosynthetic programming is governed by the substrate specificity of individual catalytic domains towards biosynthetic intermediates⁴, thus making each domain potentially reprogrammable, allowing access to novel chemical scaffolds.

Using a range of techniques, this project aims to engineer individual catalytic domains of a hrPKS, allowing them to process alternative substrates. In the first instance, a combination of molecular modelling, mutagenesis and in vitro biochemical assays will be conducted on individual catalytic domains to alter / expand their substrate scope. Catalytic activity of domains will be monitored using protein mass spectrometry and other spectroscopic approaches, all of which have been established in the laboratory. Successfully engineered domains will be introduced back into the original hrPKS (or other hrPKS systems) using standard molecular cloning techniques and assessed for their ability to produce novel chemical products.

The results of this work will provide unique insights into our ability to engineer these finely tuned systems towards novel chemical scaffolds, with the ultimate goal of utilising these biocatalysts for designer compounds.

This project will be jointly supervised by Dr. Matthew Jenner (Protein Biochemistry, Mass Spectrometry, Structural Biology, Molecular Biology) and Dr. Fabrizio Alberti (Genetic Engineering, Pathway Reconstitution).

References

[1] J. Nat. Prod. 2020, 83, 770; [2] Org. Biomol. Chem. 2007, 5, 2010; [3] J. Org. Chem. 2012, 77, 9933; [4] Nat. Prod. Rep., 2023, 40, 9.

Co-supervisor on projects with Dr Lona Alkhalaf and Dr Mojgan Rabiey.

Previous Projects (2024-25)

Primary supervisor for:

Dissecting and exploiting fungal polyketide-nonribosomal peptide synthetase

Co-supervisor on projects with Dr Mojgan Rabiey and Professor David I Roper FRSC.

Previous Projects (2023-24)

Engineering Biosynthetic Assembly Lines for the Incorporation of Photoreactive Diazirines Genomics-driven exploitation of aphid-killing bacteria as a source of novel biopesticides