Dr Lucy Jackson-Jones- Lecturer in Biomedicine. Lucy studied Immunology at the University of Edinburgh before completing a Wellcome Trust funded 4-year PhD in the Cellular and Molecular Basis of Disease. She graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 2013, her thesis on the Alternative Activation of Dendritic Cells was completed under the supervision of Prof Andrew MacDonald. Lucy spent two years at the Institute of Immunology and Infection Research in Edinburgh as a PDRA in the laboratory of Prof Judi Allen prior to joining the Centre for Cardiovascular Sciences in 2015 as a PDRA in the laboratory of Dr Cecile Benezech. Lucy moved to Lancaster University in Spring 2018 to establish her own group.
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r Sheila Macharia – PDRA. Sheila joined the lab in October 2021 and works on an UKRI-MRC research funded project investigating the role of oxidised phospholipids within the pleural space. Sheila’s undergraduate degree was in Human Biology and Biochemistry at Keele University and her Masters degree in Immunology of Infectious Diseases is from LSHTM. During her Masters program Sheila trained in the Diagnostics and Laboratory Systems Program at CDC-KEMRI in Nairobi, Kenya. More recently, Sheila wrote her doctoral thesis on the ‘Role of Eosinophils in Maintenance of Barrier Function during Gastrointestinal Infection’ under the supervision of Prof. Sheena Cruickshank at the University of Manchester.
Nadia Iqbal– PhD Student. Nadia is currently working on a project funded by the Sir John Fisher Foun
dation investigating the innate immune response during mesothelioma-like inflammation of the pleural space. Nadia’s project focuses on novel pre-clinical models that utilise multi-walled carbon nano-tubes. Nadia investigates the role of Fat Associated Lymphoid Clusters & fluid phase immune cells and their role in the initiation of cancer. Nadia’s undergraduate degree was in Biomedicine at the University of Manchester (UoM) after which she completed a 1-year MRes in Translational medicine studying miRNAs in Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia also at the UoM. Nadia went on to work as a scientific officer at the CRUK Manchester institute as part of the clinical and experimental pharmacology group working on a number of clinical trials investigating circulating tumour cells for 3.5 years. Nadia spent a year working on Rheumatoid Arthritis associated SNPs as part of the ARUK functional genomics group at the UoM before joining the Jackson-Jones group in August 2019.
Alex Hardgrave- Research Technician. Alex joined the laboratory in August 2021 and works on projects related to IgM detection by macrophages and the immune response to meosthelioma. Alex undertook his PhD at Lancaster University under the supervision of Dr John Worthington. Alex’ post is funded by Wellcome and AUK-BLF.
Otto Wheeler- PhD Student. Otto joined the group in October 2021 and works on a collaborative Immuno-oncology project co-supervised by Dr Leonie Unterholzner. ‘How is the immune system alerted to persistent replication stress and DNA damage in keratinocytes during immunosurveillance against cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma?’ Otto’s project is funded by North West Cancer Research.
Chloe Barnes- PhD Student. Chloe will join the group in December 2021 and work on a collaborative project co-supervised by Dr Mick Urbaniak, Dr John Worthington and Dr Neil Dawson. ‘Investigating the Tropism, Immunology and Pathology of African trypanosomiasis’ Chloe’s PhD studentship is funded by Lancaster Universities Faculty of Health and Medicine.