My main area of interest is the investigation of protein structure and dynamics using solid-state NMR. My PhD project primarily entails looking at the S. coelicolor protein MmyJ, which is a transcription regulator that senses an as-yet-unknown ligand. When bound to this ligand, it releases the DNA and allows transcription of MmR to begin (MmR escorts the antibiotic methylenomycin, produced by S. coelicolor, outside the organism ).

My current work is to narrow down the exact inter-genetic region which MmyJ binds to, and to also identify the binding ligand via electrophoretic mobility shift assays. Once this has been completed the binding profiles and structure of MmyJ will be investigated both when bound to DNA and the ligand using a combination of SPR and both solution and solid state NMR.

Academic History

2012 - Present:

• PhD (Ongoing), MOAC DTC, University of Warwick
  'Investigations of Antibiotic Resistance Regulatory Proteins of the ArsR Family'
  Supervisors: Drs Józef Lewandowski, Christophe Corre and Daniel Mitchell

2011 - 2012:

• MSc (Distinction), MOAC DTC, University of Warwick
  Mini Projects: 'A Model for Cellular Blebbing', 'Fast MAS Solid-State NMR of DC-SIGN Sediment' and 'Synthetic Glycopolymers Show High Affinity Binding to SIGNR1, A Mouse Orthologue of Human DC-SIGN'
  More details here.

2007 - 2011:

• MPhys (2.1), Department of Physics, University of Warwick
  Final Year Project: 'Evaluation of Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Treatment Planning for Brachytherapy for Cervical Cancer'
  More details here.