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Meet the Team

We are a multi-disciplinary group of dedicated students studying at the University of Nottingham and working alongside our inspiring supervisors!


Students

Team Leaders

James Birch

Team Leader

James Birch is a 2nd year Biotechnology student at the University of Nottingham. He is this year’s student team leader and is also working on the control subgroup of the project with Luke Weir. He is responsible for the overall running of the group as well as devising a Control strategy to ensure our biotherapeutic could not escape into the environment.
In his spare time he enjoys camping and playing badminton.

Saachi Bhalla

Deputy Leader

Saachi is a 1st year Biotechnology student at the University of Nottingham. She is this year's deputy leader and is also part of the DBHB subgroup. Her main role is making sure there is enough support for the team leader, but she also works hard on designing the ketone production operon which later gets integrated into C. sporogenes.
In her free time, she enjoys painting, reading and dancing.




Mathematical Modellers

Luke Barks

Marketing, Branding and Modelling

Luke Barks is a 2nd year Maths student at the University of Nottingham. His primary role involves working alongside our other Mathematician on the team Aly, to produce a model to compliment and justify our project goals. His secondary role includes Marketing and Branding with the main goal to ensure that there is consistent presentation throughout our project.
In his spare time he enjoys playing games and playing the piano.



Aly Sadowska

Marketing, Branding and Modelling

Aly Sadowska is a 2nd year Maths student at the University of Nottingham looking to specialise in Mathematical Biology and Abstract Algebra. Her primary role involves working alongside our other Mathematician on the team Luke. Her secondary role includes Marketing and Branding where she has made amazing Illustrations for our posters and videos. Our logo was also designed by her!
Aly is a driven character who likes to keep her life busy. Working as a waitress, bartender and even as a lead actor at the Nottingham New Theatre last year! She is the cat lover of the group and a competitor for the biggest foody on the team.


Neurology Research and Data Collection

Eugenia Vuong

Head of Collaboration

Eugenia Vuong is a 2nd year Biology student at the University of Nottingham. Her primary role is the Head of Collaboration. She has also decided to take lead on working on the wiki (yep, that’s me!) alongside the two modellers on the team. Her scientific role is to design the ketone production operon which later gets integrated into C. sporogenes.
In her free time, she enjoys staying outdoors, training Muay Thai and teaching the team yoga on the weekends!

Kieran Bird

Outreach Human Practices and Ethics

Kieran Bird is a 2nd year Biochemistry and Biological Chemistry student at the University of Nottingham. His primary role is the head of Outreach, Human Practices and Ethics. With multiple years of laboratory experience both in the Life Sciences and Chemistry labs, the knowledge he has cultivated has enabled him to carry out experiments and other specific procedures correctly, carefully and safely. Like other members of the team he enjoys music and playing guitar from time to time. Kieran has also been working very closely with Luke Barks on the Minecraft. You can check out the Minecraft here

Alistair Cadoo

Communications and Fundraising

Alistair Cadoo is a 2nd year Biotechnology student at the University of Nottingham. His primary role is Communications and Fundraising, check out all the stuff we have been doing on social media!
He has a passion for eating food (quantity over quality-especially with his cooking), playing tennis, cricket or just about any sport! He loves learning and has a broad range of interests - science, space, history, sport, travelling, photography... and oh did I mention eating?!

Luke Weir

Recording Officer

Luke Weir is a 2nd year Genetics student at the University of Nottingham. His primary role is Recording Officer. Normally this would involve work towards the laboratory side of the project via the coordination of lab books and ensuring lab safety measures are in place. This year is different in that we cannot get into the lab therefore, he has focused on researching the various components of the project while venturing into the outreach and human practices side of the project as well.
In his spare time, he enjoys watching and playing many sports including both forms of rugby, tennis, and American football. He also enjoys baking and is on his way to finally perfecting the chocolate chip cookie although most of the credit goes to his sister.

Supervisors

Principal Investigators

Nigel Minton

Primary Principal Investigator

This is our PI Professor Nigel P Minton. Nigel established the Clostridia Research Group in 2004. He has filed 15 patents and secured > £30M in funding since arriving at Nottingham. He is the Director of the ‘Synthetic Biology Research Centre Nottingham’.

Andrew Dempster

Secondary Principal Investigator

Andrew is a postdoctoral research associate in the SBRC with nearly a decade of experience working with the bacteria of the human gut. Drawing on this and his past work on iGEM, Andrew will be helping to oversee the general organisation of the project, as well as advising the team on the molecular biology of probiotic strain development.
In his free time, Andrew enjoys cycling, rugby, yoga, the gym as well as photography, podcasts, movies and cooking.


Clostridium Advisors

Raquel Rodrigues

Advisor

Raquel is a postdoc working in the SBRC. She is also a Clostridium expert and has been advising the team on sporulation.
In her free time, she enjoys singing and playing the guitar as a means of therapy from science.


Alexander Rawson

Advisor

Alex is a first year PhD student working with pathogenic Clostridia. Prior to beginning this PhD, he worked as a research technician in the SBRC gaining experience genetically manipulating several Clostridial species. This year Alex has helped advise on molecular cloning techniques in clostridia and how they would have been performed if in the lab.
Outside of the lab, Alex likes to play hockey, go on hiking adventures, drink coffee and brew his own beers.

Patrick Ingle

Advisor

Patrick is a postdoc working in the SBRC and will be advising the team on gene regulation and biocontainment strategies. His PhD and subsequent work involved studying several different clostridial species which colonise the human gut.
Away from the lab, Patrick enjoys bouldering, cricket and baking.

Modelling Advisor

Thomas Millat

Advisor

Thomas is a postdoc and will be advising the team on mathematical modelling of metabolic networks and data analysis. Thomas is studying the constraints of and alterations to the metabolic activity of bacteria caused by changes in environmental conditions which then can be applied to favour the formation of products.
In his spare time, he is working as a technical official in athletics.


Oureach, Human Practices and Ethics


Jacqueline Minton

Advisor

As Communications Officer for SBRC Nottingham, Jacque’s job is to promote and educate about the pioneering work being done at the Centre. Throughout the project she has been working closely with the Human Practices subgroup led by Kieran.
Outside of work, she enjoys travelling to see wildlife as well as creative activities such as sewing and gardening. Jacque’s current focus is perfecting her cake making and decorating skills to eventually produce a beautiful wedding cake for her son and his fiancé, who are getting married in February 2021!

Louise Dynes

Advisor

Louise is an Environmental Science graduate and has over 10 years’ experience of event & project management. Louise currently manages a UKRI-BBSRC network, called The Carbon Recycling Network. The network promotes those aspects of carbon recycling that support the re-use and exploitation of single carbon (C1) greenhouse gases. Her role is to coordinate the group activity to create and educate a network of individuals though a range of media including websites, social media, newsletters, conferences, workshops and outreach activities. She also manages a portfolio of flexible funds.
Louise is helping with the Outreach and Human Practices and is also overseeing the general management of the team. This is the fourth year in a row Louise has been involved in iGEM!!! Outside work, Louise looks after her cat called Oreo and enjoys going to gigs and music festivals!

Eleanor Hadley Kershaw

Advisor

Dr Eleanor Hadley Kershaw is a Senior Research Fellow in the Interdisciplinary Responsible Research and Innovation Group at the Synthetic Biology Research Centre Nottingham. She leads a programme of social science research exploring the social, political and ethical dimensions of the SBRC’s work. She is Human Practices Advisor for the Nottingham 2020 iGEM team.
In her spare time, she enjoys reading, running and travelling!

iGEM Consultants: Nottingham iGEM 2019 team

Saniya Crouch

Nottingham iGEM 2019 Team Leader

Saniya has been working closely with this years' team leader, James on ways to work effectively towards deadlines and forming subgroups within the team to delegate specific roles most suited to each team member.

Marta Marcheluk

Nottingham iGEM 2019 Deputy Leader

Marta has been working with our deputy leader, Saachi on ways to run the team more effectively as well as general advice and experience she had to offer!

Millie Johnson

Nottingham iGEM 2019 Head of Collaboration

Millie has been working closely with James, Luke. W and Aly to guide us through making a successful poster. With a year of iGEM under her belt, she was able to tell us the dos and don'ts for the poster as well as giving special attention to graphics and diagrams of the poster.

James Abbott

Nottingham iGEM 2019 Head of Wiki

Since this year's team had little to no experience with HTML, James has been in contact with Eugenia to help with troubleshooting techniques to fix common Wiki issues as well as resolving multiple mental breakdowns...

Daniel Vaughan

Nottingham iGEM 2019 Head of Modelling


During the early stages of our project, Aly and Luke B. had a meeting with Dan to discuss areas to focus on particularly the modelling report. Throughout the project he has been in contact with Aly to discuss the dynamic modelling more specifically as well as giving general advice and a lot of moral support!