Staff and students

PhD Student studying the dissemination of the Wnt signal on cytonemes.

Dr. Félix Cicéron is a postdoctoral researcher at the Living Systems Institute (LSI), University of Exeter, where he leads research on the ecophysiology and applied biotechnology of microalgae. Working under PI Adam Monier, Félix develops projects that bridge fundamental discovery and industrial innovation.
He is currently driving the commercialisation of a novel antibiotic-free selection marker, aimed at enabling safer and more scalable recombinant protein production across a variety of cell platforms.
Félix’s scientific background includes a PhD at CERMAV CNRS on the characterisation of plant glycosyltransferases, postdoctoral research on lipid metabolism at the Cell & Plant Physiology Laboratory in Grenoble, and a fellowship at Plymouth Marine Laboratory, where he advanced applied projects in marine biotechnology. His expertise spans molecular biology, genetic engineering, and synthetic biology, with a particular focus on advancing microalgal biotechnology for commercial and therapeutic applications.

Félix is also actively engaged in the biotech community, co-founding networks such as the MicroAlgal Recombinant network and PhycoClub, and collaborating with leading laboratories and industry partners to accelerate the industrialisation of microalgae-based innovations.

I graduated from the University of the West of England with a first class Master of Research in applied sciences. My masters degree research project focused on the biochemical inhibition of splice factors within cancer cell lines. This research demonstrated the importance of indirect inhibition through major signalling pathways, such as MAPK, on cellular stability. This sparked my interest in cell signalling which led me to undertake a PhD within this area.

My PhD research, supervised by Dr Steffen Scholpp, investigates the role of morphogens for cellular communication within embryonic development. I am researching a key morphogen called Wnt and the importance of calcium influx in its signalling and dissemination. This will be done initially through in vitro methods and then expanded in vivo within zebrafish.

With a background in fundamental bioengineering combined with microbiology and biotechnology, I am an interdisciplinary researcher, passionate about miniaturising pathogen detection and single-cell antimicrobial resistance testing for use in a healthcare setting and using rapid prototyping techniques.

Imogen is a Biomedical Physics PhD student in the Living Systems Institute. She started at the university as a Research Technician and is now working towards a PhD on Cavity Enhanced Absorption Spectroscopy.

2nd year PhD student. Primary research focus looks at investigating antibiotic-phage combination therapy targeting Burkholderia.

Vuong Le is a postdoc research fellow at the Living Systems Institute, the University of Exeter, UK. He is interested in the biology of the antibiotics, plasmids and bacteriophage and the applications thereof. At Exeter, he has been working on the interaction between plasmid-dependent filamentous phage and bacterial host using cryo-EM and advanced microfluidic systems.
He obtained his BSc in Biotechnology from the University of Nottingham, UK, and his PhD in Biochemistry from Massey University, New Zealand. His PhD research involved exploring the synergistic interaction between antimicrobial agents for efficient antibacterial therapies and characterizing the genetic/molecular mechanism of antibiotic resistance. He continued as a postdoc researcher at Massey University to develop a rapid SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic assay based on filamentous phage nanotechnology during the pandemic. He then joined the Section of Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, to employ fluorescently engineered plasmid-dependent phage to study the dynamic of conjugative plasmids with advanced metagenomic and single-cell technology.

I completed a master’s program in fundamental microbiology at Sorbonne University in collaboration with the Pasteur Institute in Paris. In 2020, I commenced a PhD under the supervision of Dr. Ivan Matic (University Paris Cité). My studies focused on E. coli metabolism and physiology. Currently, as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Exeter,my research concentrates on understanding the interplay between antibiotic resistance, persistence and prokaryotic defence , especially at the single-cell level.

Title: Developing novel microfluidic platforms for antibiotic discovery.
Building on a robust foundation of research and international experience, my PhD project aims to revolutionize antibiotic discovery through the development of innovative microfluidic platforms. I completed both a Bsc, and an MScR at the University of Bristol with projects on antibiotic resistance in both clinical and agricultural settings. Following my masters degree I worked for the United Nations, where I honed my skills in problem-solving and collaboration under high-stakes conditions.
I am looking forward to my project, where I hope to leverage state-of-the-art microfluidic technology, developed by the Pagliara group at the University of Exeter, to streamline and enhance the process of identifying new antibiotics, addressing the critical need for novel treatments in the face of the rising threat. By integrating my diverse background in field research and international operations, I am uniquely positioned to drive this cutting-edge research forward, aiming to make a significant impact on global health.
Adapted from ChatGPT.

Amr is a medical doctor who graduated from Cairo University, Egypt. Afterwards, he finished his postgraduate internal medicine clinical training in the NHS, UK.

Amr developed a strong passion towards biomedical research during his early years of undergardate studies, especially the field of stem cell biology. Following his dream, he got his Master’s degree in Cell & Gene therapy at University college London, and he then moved to the Living systems institute to start his PhD training in stem cell models of early human embryonic development.

Working in Nic Harmer’s group. Broadly interested in applying engineering principles to biological systems. Currently with specific focus on using enzymes to do interesting chemistry in vitro.

I am a new PhD researcher in the Gielen group, focusing on characterizing bacterial biofilm formation and controlling it by screening bacteriophages using high-throughput microfluidic techniques.

Nikolas Nikolaou received his PhD in Anatomy and Developmental Biology from University College London in 2009. As a PhD student in David Wilkinson’s group (MRC National Institute for Medical Research), he investigated cell signalling mechanisms regulating the balance between neural progenitor maintenance and differentiation in the developing nervous system. He then joined the group of Dr Martin Meyer at the Centre for Developmental Neurobiology (King’s College London) to investigate neuronal wiring in the larval zebrafish brain. He used high-content functional imaging techniques to identify and characterise the response properties of developing visual circuits. Whilst at King’s College London, Nikolas joined Prof. Corinne Houart’s group to perform genetic studies and uncover the extra-nuclear roles of splicing regulators in neuronal connectivity. He moved to the University of Bath as a Lecturer in 2020 to use structural and functional imaging techniques together with transcriptomic analyses to elucidate molecular and cellular mechanisms essential for brain connectivity and how these are affected in neurological disease conditions. He joined the University of Exeter in 2024 where he is currently a Senior Lecturer and Principal Investigator at the Living Systems Institute.

Matthew Palmer has been at the University of Exeter since September 2019, where he studied Medical Sciences with a Professional Training Year. After graduating in July 2023, he joined the Technical Services Team as a Laboratory Technician for the Living Systems Institute. In this role, Matthew is responsible for providing laboratory support to researchers and other staff. He ensures that resources are sufficiently stocked, sustains an organised working environment, and attends to the maintenance of laboratory equipment. Matthew has developed an interest in sustainability within the Living Systems Institute and the University as a whole, having joined the LSI’s Sustainability Group which is working towards Gold LEAF accreditation. His skillset and knowledge benefit from previous laboratory experience and his familiarity with the University of Exeter. He is a keen and reliable member of his team, always willing to offer a helping hand.

NC3Rs Training fellow working to develop genetic tools for the non-mammalian infection model Galleria mellonella

Comparative studies in regulatory genomics at the onset of key evolutionary transitions in animalsComparative studies in regulatory genomics at the onset of key evolutionary transitions in animals.

Develop computational pipelines for the study of stem cells at single cell level in non-model organisms

Karina Scholpp is the Senior Administrator in the LSI, where she supports the LSI Director and the LSI Business Manager since January 2019. After gaining an postgraduate degree in Hydro- and Engineering Geology (Diplom Geoplogist) at the University of Karlsruhe, Germany, she started her career as a Hydrogeologist in Dresden. Upon moving to London in 2004, she worked as a Hydro- and Engineering Geologist for a consulting company in St. Albans, UK. On returning to Germany, she spent six years in Higher Education as co-ordinator for a research network for junior group leaders and associate professors at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, before moving to Exeter.

Austin’s research interest is stem cell biology and in particular pluripotent stem cells that harbour the capacity to generate all cell types of the mammalian organism. His group seek to derive universal principles underlying the establishment and progression of pluripotency in diverse mammalian embryos and to reveal network properties that enable long-term self-renewal in vitro of transient in vivo cell states. They also aim to model and dissect in vitro the developmental programme from emergent naïve pluripotency to lineage-committed progenitors. Austin’s research employs a range of approaches from computational modelling to in vivo chimaera studies.

Jordi is interested in stem cells, their role in animal regenerative processes and their evolution. Jordi’s research group uses single cell transcriptomic analysis methods to study them in a variety of stem cells and regeneration research model organisms, such as the planarian Schmidtea mediterranea. The team has developed innovative methods like ACME for dissociation and combinatorial single-cell transcriptomics and is also studying stem cells in regenerative animals such as the annelid Pristina leidyi. Ultimately, their research aims at decoding the transcriptional and epigenetic code of invertebrate pluripotent stem cells and their differentiation to understand why some animals can regenerate while we cannot.

My project in Prof. Austin Smith’s lab focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms governing transitions in the pluripotency of human embryonic stem cells. I am interested in a wide range of techniques, including single-cell transcriptomics and epigenetics, biochemical approaches, and flow cytometry.

I completed my undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences at the University of Oxford, and my Masters’ project in Prof. Andrea Brand’s lab at the University of Cambridge. I then worked as a Research Assistant with Dr. Philipp Voigt in the Epigenetics Department of the Babraham Institute, Cambridge. I aspire to combine my interests in gene regulation and developmental biology gained throughout these experiences to my PhD studies.

I am a Research Technician for the Bhinge and the Wedgwood Lab.

With a background in Physics and a Master’s in Bioinformatics, I am currently pursuing a PhD focused on applying machine learning techniques for image recognition in Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) experiments. My research also involves using Bayesian modeling to analyze AMR data, combining computational methods and data-driven approaches to address key challenges in this field.

I’m a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy.
I’m a researcher with a background in photonics, currently diving into the world of optical microresonators and their applications. My path has led me through exciting projects at Aston University, AMO GmbH, and CINaM, where I’ve been lucky to work on cutting-edge technology in both academic and industrial settings. Beyond my professional life, I’m passionate about promoting diversity in STEM fields and have been involved in volunteer work to support this cause. At heart, I’m someone who loves solving complex problems and believes in using technology to make a positive impact.

My research interestes lie in the areas of compuational biology, biological physics, and statistical systems biology. I am particularly interested in how living systems at different scales of organisation (from biomolecules to cells to tissues and organs) process information by sensing and responding to external cues. I pursue these questions in the fields of cell biology, endocrinology and neuroendocrinology.

Hi, I’m Laraib, the new PhD student joining the Department of Biosciences/LSI under Dr. Matt Winter and Dr. Yosuke Ono. My research will be focused on zebrafish, and using them as a translational model for human heart failure. I’ll be creating LoF models using CRISPR/Cas9 to try and induce heart disease in adult zebrafish as seen in humans.

Pablo is a biophysicist with over 15 years of research experience focused on membrane biophysics, chemistry and protocellular evolution. He earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Concepción (Chile), where he investigated the interactions between lipid bilayers and neuroprotective drugs using X-ray diffraction, DSC, and fluorescence techniques. Since then, he has held postdoctoral positions at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry (Martinsried, Germany) and the Technical University of Munich (Germany), contributing to projects on prebiotic systems, microfluidics, and chemically driven vesicle division.

Dr. Zambrano has published extensively on membrane-active compounds and vesicle dynamics. His technical expertise spans membrane biophysics, microfluidics, advanced microscopy, calorimetry and vesicle protocols. He is also an active reviewer and editorial board member, bringing broad interdisciplinary insight to the evaluation of scientific manuscripts.

He is currently based at the University of Exeter (UK), where he serves as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Living Systems Institute. His research explores stereochemical selection across protocellular membranes His research investigates how protocellular membranes might have influenced the emergence of molecular chirality in the origin of life.