Jonathan's research
CASE project in partnership with AstraZeneca, working on RNA biology
Sequencing of mRNA, the code that transmits information stored in your DNA to the rest of your cell, has made great progress in the last 20 years. The sequencing processes remove key chemical information (epitranscriptomic tags) from these sequences which can give clues to the context of their information and affect disease and cellular function. The epitranscriptomics field is new, and yet the importance of such mRNA modifications has been found across fields. The mRNA vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 make extensive use of modified RNA. A stumbling block however remains our ability to precisely detect and quantify these modifications.
The DTP gives you an instant community of fellow students. Whether you are having a good week or bad, there is always someone who can relate to what you are going through.
A placement year working in a lab on ligand-protein NMR, gave me a taste of how real science works and what life is like as a PhD student. My final year project, although cut short by the pandemic, further solidified the idea of pursuing a PhD and pushed my interest toward the fields of RNA biology and bioinformatics.
I would love to continue my research career with some experience abroad. The field of Epitranscriptomics is still growing and there are plenty of opportunities, both in academia and in industry to explore this field. The idea of getting into a new area of science at the ground floor really excites me.
My PhD research investigates new techniques to exploit the emergingnanopore-based sequencing technologies, to map and characterise these enigmatic modifications.