Team

Mathew was born and brought up in Halifax, West Yorkshire, before studying Chemistry at Oriel College, University of Oxford. He did his Master's project with Professor Mark Wallace, where he was first introduced to single-molecule techniques. Following this, he moved to the University of Cambridge to work with Professor David Klenerman, developing microscopy techniques to study the protein aggregates formed in neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. 

Following a brief stint researching in New South Wales, Australia, Mathew returned to Cambridge in 2016 to take up a Junior Research Fellowship at Christ’s College, and a Herchel Smith Fellowship at the University of Cambridge. He moved to the University of Edinburgh to head the ESMB Group in January 2018. He became Senior Lecturer in 2022, and was promoted to Professor in 2024.

When not in the lab, Mathew enjoys competing in triathlons, and has completed an Ironman in Weymouth (2016).

Takeshi joined the lab in July 2021 as a post-doctoral research associate. He comes from a background of Cell Biology, Biochemistry, and Neuroscience. His research interest is synaptic protein complex and its diversity in the brain. When he was a PhD student, he worked on analysis of the proteins related to autophagy in Prof Noboru Mizushima’s lab at the University of Tokyo, Japan. To study neuroscience, he next joined Prof Toru Takumi’s lab at RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Japan. He focused on the postsynaptic density (PSD), a large protein complex essential for synaptic function. Using proteome analysis, he found alteration of PSD composition in developing brain and brain with neurodevelopmental disorders. To extend research on PSD, he joined Horrocks group and Prof Seth Grant’s group at the University of Edinburgh. Now he is investigating nanoarchitecture of PSD95 complexes, a core scaffolds in PSD. Combining single-molecule and super resolution microscopy technique in Mathew lab and the workflow of synapse analysis in Grant lab, he is trying to reveal nanoarchitectures of individual PSD95 complex in whole brain.

Ji-Eun joined the lab in April 2021 as a post-doctoral research associate. She comes from a background of Physical Chemistry. During her PhD, she focused on determining the single-molecule fluorescence dynamics of various π-conjugated multichromophoric systems to design optimal molecular devices. This also involved developing confocal and wide-field fluorescence microscopy approaches in Prof Dongho Kim’s laboratory in the Department of Chemistry, Yonsei University, South Korea. To broaden her skillset, especially in the subjects of biophysics and super-resolution imaging, she joined Prof Sir David Klenerman and Dr Steven F. Lee at the University of Cambridge in July 2015. Within this post, she was part of the team that developed spectrally-resolved PAINT (points accumulation for imaging in nanoscale topography) or sPAINT. Using this, she characterised individual α-synuclein protein aggregates formed in Parkinson’s disease. To gain experience in live cell imaging, she subsequently moved to work with Prof Mark Leake at the University of York in 2018. She investigated protein aggresomes showing liquid-liquid phase separation in living cells using millisecond timescale Slimfield microscopy. And she also worked on exploring DNA gyrase activity in living cells associated with DNA topology. Now, in Horrocks group in collaboration with UCB Pharmaceuticals, she focuses on characterising pathogenic structures of tau aggregates, associated with Alzheimer’s disease, within human biofluids using single-molecule and super resolution microscopy methods. She also applies this technology to investigate the capacity of therapeutic antibodies, such as those developed by UCB, to bind to and inhibit the seeding capacity of protein aggregates.

Rebecca joined the lab in January 2021 as a post-doctoral research associate. Rebecca comes from a background of Cell Biology and Biotechnology, having completed a BSc(Hons) in Cell Biology at Durham University and a Masters in Biotechnology at the University of Queensland. Her strong interest in interdisciplinary science and passion for understanding the mechanisms of cellular biology through imaging technology led her to specialise in optical microscopy. Rebecca completed her PhD in the labs of Dr Paul Dalgarno and Prof Rory Duncan, working at the biophysics interface to apply next generation imaging technology to the life sciences, and in particular towards understanding the final stages of autophagy. She since spent four years as a bio-imaging specialist/bio-imaging facility manager sequentially at the Edinburgh Super-Resolution Imaging Consortium, Lisbon’s Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown and Queen Mary University of London, where she helped researchers answer diverse questions of biology spanning the fields of neuroscience, cancer, immunology and cardiovascular biology. Rebecca pursued a dedicated research project within the Horrocks lab in collaboration with UCB Pharmaceuticals, where she used single-molecule microscopy to explore the structure and pathogenic capacity of α-synuclein aggregates, a hallmark of synucleinopathies such as Parkinson’s Disease. She is now a Edith Lady Edith Wolfson Non-Clinical Research Fellow for the Motor Neuron Disease Association.

Rachel joined the group as a postdoctoral research associate at the start of 2024. She has an undergraduate BSc degree in Neuroscience from the University of Glasgow, and a PhD in Medical Genetics from the University of Edinburgh. For her PhD, she generated antibodies to investigate the protein function of a susceptibility gene for schizophrenia. One of the findings from her PhD was localization of this protein to mitochondria. The investigation of mitochondrial function in disease then became the focus of her postdoctoral research. She has since worked on several research projects to investigate the mitochondrial mechanisms of neurological and psychiatric disease using molecular, biochemical, and imaging methods. Most recently, she obtained a Daphne Jackson Trust fellowship to resume her research career following a break from academic research. Her project was centered around investigating mitochondrial function in parent carriers of patients with spinal muscular atrophy, a childhood motor neuron disease. She is now continuing her research on motor neuron disease, where she is using single-molecule microscopy to image protein aggregates in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Abigail joined the lab in February 2024 as a postdoctoral research associate. Her background is in biotechnology and molecular biology, having completed a BSc in Biotechnology in her home country of India and then an MSc in Human and Molecular Genetics at the University of Sheffield. Her research project during her MSc sparked an interest in the mechanisms of neurodegeneration, specifically in ALS. She then went on to begin a PhD in Medical Sciences at the University of Aberdeen, working on developing and optimising a microfluidics-based model of the neuromuscular junction to study and test potential therapeutics for C9ORF72-ALS. In the ESMB group, she now works on using single-molecule and super-resolution microscopy to image TDP-43 and FUS aggregates in ALS.

Yuanyuan joined the lab in July 2024 as a post-doctoral research associate. She completed her PhD in July 2023 under the supervision of Dr. Danial Chitnis and Professor Robert Henderson, focusing on the research and development of SPAD-based time-of-flight (ToF) technologies for time-domain near-infrared spectroscopy, including exploring ToF techniques in the measurement of tissue hemodynamics. Following her PhD, she worked as a research associate, supporting the application of SPAD arrays in various research areas such as neuroscience and biophysics. She is now working on the joint project with Professor Robert Henderson and Professor Mathew Horrocks, focusing on the application of SPAD arrays for super-resolution microscopy.

Dan joined the lab in September 2024 as a postdoctoral research associate. He obtained an MChem from the University of Lincoln where he spent a year in industry designing protein PEGylation methods for applications in biopharmaceuticals. More recently, he completed his PhD working with Prof. Scott Cockroft and Dr Amanda Jarvis at the University of Edinburgh. His PhD investigated the discovery of pore-forming peptides and the synthetic modification of transmembrane proteins. He is now working on a joint project with Prof. Scott Cockroft, focusing on the development of super-resolution microscopy techniques for the analysis of transmembrane systems.  In his spare time Dan enjoys exploring the Scottish highlands and islands by foot and by bike and is a keen badminton player.

Maja is a PhD student funded by the Euan Macdonald Centre and co-supervised by Dr Chris Sibley. Before joining the lab, Maja completed a BSc in Biochemistry at Imperial College London. As part of her degree, she conducted a placement year in the group of Prof. Frédéric Allain at ETH Zürich, where she worked on the structure of RNA-binding proteins involved in splicing regulation. Maja then moved to the University of Edinburgh for her MSc thesis in the group of Dr Kathryn Bowles. There she studied the RNA-binding protein ELAVL4 and its role in abnormal glutamatergic signalling observed in tauopathies. 

Currently, she is continuing her interest in RNA-binding proteins and their role in neurodegeneration by researching the role of TDP-43 mis-splicing events in the development of motor neuron disease. 

Ryan originally did his Master's research project in the group working on the detection of cryptic exons and extracellular vesicles associated with ALS. He is now a CASE-funded PhD student in the group working with UCB biopharma on the detection and characterisation of alpha-synuclein. 

John is a PhD student in the Professor Horrocks's group as part of the 2024 EASTBIO Doctoral Training Program, and is co-supervised by Dr. Jelena Baranovic at the School of Biological Sciences. John grew up seeing a lot of Dubai, Cairo, and Ottawa. John completed his B.Sc. and M.Sc. at the University of Ottawa, and has a background in transcriptional regulation and skeletal muscle adaptability. He has since then worked in Boston and Paris with the iGEM foundation, and briefly worked as a technician in an Algae biotechnology laboratory focusing on high-value terpenoid production. Most recently, John worked as a lab manager under the supervision of Pierre Magistretti in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. There, John fell in love with the idea that neurons manage their energy use and signal transmission locally, meaning neuronal activity results from complex, small-scale decision-making that is not well understood. His work in the ESMB Group is focused on tracking and measuring the behaviour of AMPA Receptors using fluorescent snail-derived tagging molecules. He hopes that his work will be informative for both the physical pre-requisites and limitations of synaptic plasticity. Outside of work, John enjoys going to the movies, badminton, and is an avid coffee lover. 

Tianxiao Zhao joined the Lab in August 2023 as a research assistant, and started his PhD in December 2023, funded bu the Eureka Foundation. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry at China Agricultural University in 2022. He then moved to University of Edinburgh and did his Master’s project with Prof. Mathew Horrocks, where he was first introduced to single-molecule detection with optical methods. He studied the protein aggregates that related to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) with super-resolution imaging techniques.

Currently, Tianxiao’s research interests are centred around the detection of RNA sequences associated ALS using confocal microscopy. He is committed to find a biomarker for this incurable disease.

Beyond the Lab pursuits, Tianxiao also finds balance in his life through badminton and the artistry of photography.

Xiao, who is also called April, joined the lab in September 2023 as a joint PhD student between Prof. Mathew Horrocks’s and Dr. Vicky MacRae’s group. Before this, she  has completed a Master’s Degree in Phathology and Phathophosiology at Guangzhou Medical University in China. During that period, she gained aboundant scientific training both for critical thinking and experimental skills.

Her project will aim to investigate the role of mitochondria during the calcification of arteries. The project will test the hypothesis that mitochondrial elongation and dysfunction underpins arterial calcification, it will apply machine learning protocols to a super-resolution microscopy approach to assess mitochondrial morphology in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). In parallel, established laboratory techniques will be used to induce and assess calcification in VSMCs, including qPCR, Western Blotting and immunofluorescence staining etc. Assessment of fixed cells by super-resolution microscopy with DNA-PAINT will determine spatial expression and location of individual mitochondrial fission/fusion regulators. Mitochondrial function will be investigated through biomedical assays. Finally, functional studies will establish the individual effects of knock out or overexpression of specific mitochondria regulators on VSMCs calcification, through CRISPER-Cas9 gene editing/activation protocols.

Outside the lab, she enjoys time in singing, dancing and working out in the gym. She can also play the piano and swim. :)

Candace joined the Single-Molecule Biophysics group as a PhD student as part of the EASTBio scheme. Prior to this, Candace was a Senior Research Scientist at LightOx Ltd. She is working on the structure of post-synaptic complexes in a collaborative project with Professor Seth Grant. 

Haresh is a PhD student in the Wellcome Integrative Cell Mechanisms program, co-supervised by Prof. Lynne Regan. Prior to joining the lab in early 2022, he graduated from Imperial College London with a degree in Biological Sciences. As part of his degree, he also completed an Industrial Placement at Glaxo SmithKline’s R&D facility in Stevenage, where he developed a high-content imaging assay to study acute liver toxicity in HEPG2 cells. Continuing his interest in imaging, he completed his final-year project with Prof. Cristina Lo Celso, mapping the 3D organization of megakaryocytes in the mouse bone marrow. He is currently interested in studying protein aggregates in neurodegeneration using super-resolution imaging techniques.

Noelia is a PhD student who joined Prof. Horrocks lab with a Medical Research Scotland Scholarship, and co-supervised by Prof. Tilo Kunath at the Centre for Regenerative Medicine. She is originally from Spain but she attended the University of Dundee and graduated with BSc (Hons) Neurosciences. During her Erasmus year in Sweden, she had the opportunity to join a research group working on neurodegenerative diseases, more specifically Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. This experience was a mind-opening time, where her passion for neuroscience grew exponentially and she decided that this would be her future career. Then, she had the pleasure to work as a lab technician at Dario Alessi’s group. There she had the chance to learn about mass spectrometry and its potential as a research tool. During her PhD, she will be focusing on a-synuclein and its role in Parkinson’s disease as a pathological hallmark. For this purpose, we will collaborate with Oxford Nanoimaging (ONI), our industrial partner, to use super-resolution microscopy. Additionally, we will investigate a-synuclein physiological role in healthy midbrain neurones, since it has been proven to be involved in innate immunity.