top of page
Home: Welcome
OUR TEAM
Home: Our Team
GEMMA BANISTER (SHE/HER)
PhD student in mechanistic biology
BBSRC-funded
Education: BA Natural Sciences, University of Cambridge
Current position: PhD student,
Project: Gemma is studying how GBPs assemble and control the non-canonical inflammasome during bacterial infections
What you like to do when you are not in the lab: I love Ballroom and Latin Dancing! I compete with the University dancesport team.
Favourite book: Uprooted, Naomi Novik
Favourite movie- Paddington
Fun fact about yourself: I came second in the World Paper and Comb Championship in 2011 with my parents, only beaten by the beatbox version of the Thomas the Tank Engine theme.
MR ALEXANDER HOGG (HE/HIM)
MRes student
Alex recently graduated from a Master by Research, after spending the last year with us. He currently work as a research assistant on an academia-industry project. He was co-supervised by Dr Jillian Barlow.
MR. BENJAMIN SAVIDGE (HE/HIM)
Research technician
Funded by Academy of Medical Science and Wellcome Trust
Nationality: British
Education: BSc Medical Microbiology, MSc Infection and Immunity, PhD Cellular Immunology, all U of Leicester
Current position: Laboratory Technician
Project: Ben wears many hats in the Boucher lab, helping organising and maintaining the lab. On top of this, his project focus on understanding the molecular mechanism controlling inflammatory caspases activity.
Favorite quote: Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn." -Benjamin Franklin
“This’ll be fun. We’ll stay up late, swapping manly stories, and in the morning… I’m making waffles!” – Donkey (Shrek)
"Choo Choo" - Unknown conductor. (Runaway mine train Alton Towers.)
What you like to do when you are not in the lab, Eat, Sleep and not write a thesis. (or read/videogames)
Favorite book (Series): Malazan book of the fallen
Favorite movie: I watch Black hawk down every Christmas morning
Fun fact about yourself:
Possibly in the top 1-0.1% of EU4 players
DR DAVE BOUCHER (HE/HIM)
Lab head/ Lecturer in Biomedical Science
Nationality: Canadian
Education: Bsc in Biotechnology (major in molecular Biology), PhD Pharmacology (University of Sherbrooke, Canada).
Current position: Lab Head, Lecturer in Biomedical Sciences
Project: Dave has a lot of very secret projects...
Favorite quote: Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution (Einstein)
What you like to do when you are not in the lab: I enjoy hiking and the outdoors as much as I enjoy a nice beer in a quiet pub. He also enjoy running (although quite slowly), cooking and baking. I am also an avid sport fan and enjoy watching Ice hockey and Tennis
Favorite book: Novecento (Baricco)
The Alchimist (Coehlo)
Favorite movie: Indiana Jones (wanted to be an archaeologist as a child)
Fun fact about yourself: I own a pet goat when I was a college and University student.
ALUMNI
Job Title
Miss Georgia Bateman, MRes (Currently PhD, Queens University Belfast)
Mx Panagiotis Verzi, MRes( Currently Research assistant, Imperial Colleges London)
Mr. Paul Crosnier, iMSc (Currently Consultant, Yet2)
Miss Sophie Davies, iMSc (Currently research technician, Aptamer)
Mr Alexander Hogg, MRes (Currently Research assistant, University of York)
ALEXANDROS CHATZIS (HE/HIM)
PhD student (co-Supervisee)
Kourtzelis lab (York)
Nationality: Greek
Education (BSc/PhD, etc): Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Biotechnology (University of Thessaly, 2011-2016), Master of Research (King's College London, 2017-2019). Let me know if further work experience is needed.
Current position: PhD researcher/candidate in Cancer and Immunology
Project: I focus on novel cancer immunotherapies (e.g. immunomodulators, monoclonal antibodies) to harness and enhance the myeloid cell activity (e.g. phagocytosis, efferocytosis) to mediate innate immune training and potentially suppress tumour growth.
Favorite quote: Fortune favours the bold.
What do you like to do when you are not in the lab: I am a big fan of sports. I play football and tennis. I go to the gym quite frequently, I enjoy swimming (swimming pool or open water/sea) and I go for 10-15km runs. I am quite adventurous so during my holidays I choose to go on long road trips and visit new places, cultures and people.
Favorite book: Nineteen Eighty-Four (George Orwell)
Favorite movie: Scent of a woman
Fun fact about yourself: I was once a commando (rank of sergeant) during my mandatory army service in Greece.
TIMUR OZDENYA (HE/HIM)
Master by research
Tim is a York Biochemistry graduate that joined our lab to study the biochemical activation of inflammatory caspases. Tim also did his final year project in our lab before joining for his MRes.
JULIA FRISENBICHLER (SHE/HER)
ERASMUS exchange student (Austria)
Julia is an Erasmus student from Austria training with us this year. She is learning about inflammasome signalling in human epithelium and identifying novel pathways controlling inflammasome activity.
RESEARCH
Questions we are asking:
HOW ARE INFLAMMASOMES ACTIVATED?
WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES OF CASPASES ACTIVATION?
HOW IS CASPASE ACTIVITY CONTROLLED DURING INFLAMMATION?
HOW ARE CASPASES AND INFLAMMASOMES CONTRIBUTING TO DISEASE?
HOW ARE INFLAMMATORY CASPASES IMPACTING HUMAN INFECTIONS?
Home: Research
METHODS USED
We use multiple approaches tailored to the questions we are asking
CELLULAR IMMUNOLOGY
From flow Cytometry to Elisa and western blot, cellular immunology techniques are at the art of our approach. We use primary human cells and human cell lines to do so.
BIOCHEMISTRY
We are studying innate immune responses at a molecular level, reconstituting the Inflammasome signalling to better understand it.
SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY
To understand Inflammasome and caspase signalling, we use chemical and ontogenetic tools to control their activity and better understand their functions.
Home: Services
JOB OPENINGS
Research Opportunities at Protease and innate immunity lab
Start October 2023
PHD STUDENTSHIP POSITION
We have an exciting position advertised. Please find more information here: https://www.findaphd.com/phds/project/fully-funded-white-rose-bbsrc-dtp-biology-project-proteolytic-control-of-intracellular-bacterial-infections/?p150139
Home: Open Positions
Home: Portfolio
HAVE A QUESTION? WANT TO COLLABORATE? CONTACT US!
Home: Apply Now
Home: Blog Feed
Home: Video Player
CONTACT US
Department of Biology
Wentworth way
Heslington, York
YO10 5DD
123-456-7890
Home: Contact
bottom of page