THE TEAM

After earning an undergraduate degree in Biology at the University of Mainz, Germany, I obtained my PhD in Molecular Biomedicine at the University of Bonn, Germany. I then joined the University of Manchester as postdoctoral researcher and was awarded a Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowship in 2017. In 2022, I joined the Department of Biology and York Biomedical Research Institute at the University of York where I am exploring the coordination of cytoskeletal dynamics during neuronal development, ageing and disease. I am passionate about improving research culture and promoting equity, inclusion, and diversity in research, e.g. through the postdoc appreciation week initiative and as eLife Ambassador. Find her on Twitter, LinkedIN, and ORCID.

In addition, I am singer always looking for people to make music with and love SciFi/Star Trek.

I graduated with a BSc in Biochemistry from the University of York in 2017 and carried on to do an MSc in Molecular Medicine also at York. I really enjoyed all my research projects so much that I came back after a short break away to do a PhD under the supervision of Dr Gareth Evans and Dr Ines Hahn. My project was aimed at characterising the neuronal functions of TLK2, a kinase implicated in a rare neurodevelopmental disorder.

Currently, I am working on another kinase, GSK-3β. I am developing light-activatable versions to study how local GSK-3β activity controls neuronal development and maintenance.

I completed a BSc Biochemistry (Hons) in 2023 from the University of Liverpool where I was introduced to the loveable Drosophila melanogaster model. From this point, I was hooked on both Drosophila and neuro-mechanistic research and followed this work with a summer placement in Liverpool, before then beginning a research technician position at the University of York in the Hahn Lab in September 2023. Here, I investigated GSK-3β and its actions on neurodevelopment and microtubules through microtubule regulators, and was able to share the work of the Hahn Lab at the ARUK Conference (Liverpool 2024), DUNE Conference (Durham 2024), Celebrating Spaces (York 2024) and NeuroBioUK (York 2024). Getting to know York University, York city and the Hahn Lab, I loved it so much I decided to stay for another four years! In September 2024, I began a BBSRC White Rose PhD in Mechanistic Biology in the Hahn Lab aiming to decipher the spatio-temporal activity of GSK-3β throughout neuronal development.

Outside of academia, I spend a lot of my time reading, writing, enjoying films, walking/cycling, visiting the pub and pursuing new hobbies. On my list of new hobbies to undertake is sewing, hiking and a sport that doesn’t make me feel like I just learned how to use my limbs. 

After completing a BSc in Biotechnology degree at SRM IST Chennai and a MSc by Research in Regenerative Medicine and Tissue Repair. Aparna gained experience as Research Assistant at NATA - Nucleic Acid Therapy Accelerator in Oxfordshire and Research Technician in Cardiometabolic Disease Studies at the University of Leeds. She joined the Bridge and Hahn labs in September 2024 as BBSCR Mechanistic Biology PhD student to study GSK3B transcriptional regulation in haematopoietic stem cells. 

She also enjoys board games and is a master of pub quizzes.

Panni completed a BSc degree in Biomedical Science in York and is currently pursuing a Masters by Research degree.
Panni's project focusses on the generation of peptide inhibitors for GSK3β that are linked to specific subcellular compartments.  Using those she is testing if local GSK3β inhibition can overcome negative effects of global inhibition.

Outside the lab, she loves to bake.

While completing a BSc in Biology at the University of York, my final year project introduced me to Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), a multisystemic disease affecting millions worldwide. Blending genetics and neuroscience, I found a research niche I was truly fascinated by – one I wasn’t ready to leave behind at the end of my undergraduate degree. I am now pursuing a Master’s by Research in the same field, focusing on how microtubule mis-regulation contributes to the neurological symptoms associated with NF1.

Outside the lab I enjoy crocheting, knitting, attending yoga classes and going on runs. 

I studied at the University of Liverpool for my undergraduate degree in Biochemistry which I completed in 2021, after which I came to York to work for Nestle as a chemistry technician in their quality assurance lab (where I got a lot of free chocolate!). I worked there for just under a year before moving to Harrogate and starting a job in the pharmaceutical industry at LabCorp, where I worked in the Biopharmaceutical department performing GMP testing for just over 3 years. I have since come back to academia to pursue my passion for research and start my masters here at the Hahn Lab, where I am looking into the effects of GSK3β on TDP-43 aggregation levels and whether localised inhibition can improve TDP-43 toxicity. I am just getting started but I am so excited for where this research will lead me!

In my free time I like to crochet, read, sing and I am currently attempting to learn how to play guitar! I also enjoy watching movies and tv shows and spending way too much time on my computer playing video games.