People
Our interdisciplinary research team brings together researchers from a variety of scientific backgrounds including synthetic chemistry, biochemistry, pharmaceutical sciences and microbiology.
Opportunities
We welcome researchers from a variety of scientific backgrounds (e.g. chemistry, biochemistry, microbiology). Get in touch if you are interested in joining or applying for PhD or postdoctoral scholarships.
We are also always interested in hosting visiting researchers.
Email Sarah (sarah.barry@kcl.ac.uk) if you are interested in joining us!
Group Leader: Dr. Sarah Barry
Sarah is an Associate Professor in Chemical Biology and runs an interdisciplinary research group in the Chemistry Department at King's College London.
Sarah is an organic chemist by training and gained her BSc (Hons) in Science from University College Dublin where she did her undergraduate research with Prof Pat Guiry on transfer hydrogenation. She stayed at UCD to start a PhD on iron catalysed oxidation funded by an IRCSET scholarship and supervised by Prof. Peter Rutledge. She completed this work in the University of Sydney.
She shifted focus for her postdoctoral research, moving to the University of Warwick with Prof. Greg Challis, where she developed her interest in natural product biosynthesis.
Her interests now lie in the enzymes from bacterial metabolism which catalyse many chemical reactions with a specificity and efficiency unrivalled in synthetic chemistry. She also aims to exploit and understand natural product biosynthetic pathways towards developing new approaches to tackle antibiotic resistance.
Meet the team
Yaoyu Ding
Yao is a 3rd year PhD student studying the synthesis and biosynthesis of non-ribosomal peptides.
Iman Omar
Iman is a final year PhD student cosupervised with D. Castagnolo, UCL. She is developing enzymes from bacterial primary metabolism and investigating their potential as biocatalysts.
Jessica Peate
Jessica is a 3rd year PhD student co supervsied by R. Isaacson KCL. She is studying biosynthetic cytochrome P450s
Tamas Graff
Tamas is a 3rd year PhD student co supervised by M. Ma, KCL. He is developed siderophores for imaging and theraeutics.
Sara Vasceavio
Sara is a 3rd year PhD student cosupervised with R. Dickman, UCL. She is studying ribosomally produced natural products in Bacillus sp.
Blazej Czemerys
Blazej is a 1st year PhD student cosupervised with D. Castagnolo UCL & GSK. He is developing biocatalysts using directed evolution.
Toby Hopkinson
Toby is an MSci project student. He is studying the biocatalytic modification of natural product peptides.
Nashili Kibria
Nashili is a 1st year PhD student cosupervised with Ismael Diez Perez, KCL. She is investigating the role of electron transfer in redox enzyme catalysis.
Michele Conti
Michele is a Marie Curie Fellow with D. Castagnolo, UCL who is developing biocatalysts using directed evolution.
He now has a group leader position at UCL.
Zuzanna Kokoszka
Zuzanna is an MSci project student. She is studying the interactions of an antibiotic non-ribosomal peptide with its target.