Howard Hughes Medical Institute University of California, San Francisco / San Francisco, CA
My research involves the reconstruction of the T-cell antigen receptor signaling pathway in an orthogonal cell line to piece apart the molecular details of immune cell triggering, and how the system's specificity and sensitivity can be genetically encoded.
I am originally from England and did both my undergraduate biochemistry degree and doctoral work at the University of Oxford. Throughout this period, my thoughts became increasingly focused on how signals are transmitted across the impermeable cell membrane, especially where the receptor responsible has no enzymatic activity of its own. For me, this area of research combines cell biology, biochemistry and systems analysis into one very exciting topic which, when applied to cells of the immune system, can have clear implications for new points of therapeutic intervention. Relocating to San Francisco for my postdoc has also provided me with great insights into the similarities and differences between approaches to scientific research on opposite sides of the Atlantic. I hope to combine the best of both worlds when starting my independent career in the near future.