Giuliana Mastropietro

Research Postgraduate (Ph.D) Department of Chemical Engineering

MSc in Applied Biosciences and Biotechnology, Imperial College London

BEng (Hons.) in Biotechnology, Universidad ORT Uruguay

After finishing my Master's degree I went back to Uruguay to work in the vaccine industry in the R&D department specializing in bioprocessing. Having worked there for almost three years I realized I wanted to be able to develop ground-breaking technologies to have a positive impact on vaccine manufacturing and delivery. Due to this, I am now undertaking a PhD in the production of virus-like particles using the expression system Pichia pastoris for emergent infectious diseases present in low and middle-income countries, within the Future Vaccine Manufacturing Research Hub. I was also selected as the 2019 Marit Mohn scholar.

Ivet Angelova

Research Postgraduate (Ph.D) Department of Chemical Engineering

MRes Systems & Synthetic Biology, Imperial College London

BSc (Hons) Biochemistry, Imperial College London

I am a Biochemist by training, and I am particularly interested in the interdisciplinary nature of Synthetic Biology which provides powerful tools to engineer Biology and in turn benefit human life, due to the widespread applications in Medicine and Industry.

Following this, I am very pleased to have joined Karen Polizzi’s group as a PhD student in October 2019. My work is focused on developing genetically encoded biosensors for non-invasive monitoring of the production of recombinant Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs). Despite their toxicity, BoNTs have been exploited in the pharmaceutical industry for treatment of neuromuscular disorders due to their ability to relieve muscle hyperactivity. Therefore, the aim of my research is to develop and apply genetically encoded biosensors in order to allow for faster and reliable monitoring of key parameters for quality and quantity control, during the process of recombinant toxin production. My project is sponsored by the BBSRC and I will also work in collaboration with the recombinant neurotoxin engineering unit at Ipsen Pharmaceutical.

Franklin Dean Keck

Research Postgraduate (Ph.D) Department of Chemical Engineering

MRes Systems and Synthetic Biology, Imperial College London

B.S. Molecular Environmental Biology, University of California, Berkeley

My research interests are informed by my background in ecological study ranging from marine oxygen evolution to woodland community phenology. Since, my interests have shifted to addressing large-scale environmental issues through synthetic biology approaches. My PhD aims to exploit plant-microbe interactions to optimize a system for phytoremediation of heavy metals. This technology can be applied to remedy soils in environments polluted by industrial activity which are no longer suitable for agriculture or healthy ecosystem function. My work is done in collaboration with Jason Hallett's group, which has developed a technology for the extraction and recycling of heavy metals from plant tissue. Their technology paired with a plant-microbe accumulation system will serve to circularize the heavy metal economy and promote lasting environmental health.

Noah Sprent

Research Postgraduate (Ph.D) Department of Chemical Engineering

MRes, Systems & Synthetic Biology, Imperial College London

MBiochem, Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, University of Oxford

Climate change is the biggest issue facing our generation, and part of the solution will be to capture greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane from the atmosphere. In my MRes project, and subsequent PhD as part of a 1+3 program funded by the BBSRC, I am developing a novel biotechnological method to capture greenhouse carbon whilst also producing valuable products. This is co-supervised by Dr. Karen Polizzi (Imperial) and Dr. John Heap (Nottingham).

Oscar Marshall

Research Postgraduate (Ph.D) Department of Chemical Engineering

Research Student in Structural Oncology, The Francis Crick Institute, London

MBiochem, Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, University of Oxford

I studied Biochemistry at undergraduate level and during this time I was particularly fascinated by genetics and the power that comes with being able to design proteins and control expression. I decided to pursue this interest further from a commercial outlook, working for a year helping to launch companies through a Biotech VC. Whilst there, I discovered the Francis Crick Institute, where I investigated therapeutics from a structural oncology perspective as part of a Master’s research project.

The SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes Covid-19, proved particularly disruptive to this year of research. And, in part, was responsible for spurring my motivation to exploit the value of Synthetic Biology. My PhD, co-supervised by Dr. Karen Polizzi and Dr. Cleo Kontoravdi, looks at combining cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) with an arfiticial golgi reactor (AGR) to create mature glycans in vitro - building on the work from two members of the Lab. Being able to successfully achieve this will surely prove invaluable from a number of biotherapeutic angles, including vaccine design in oncology and against infectious diseases.