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. 

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 now pursues a dedicated research project within the Horrocks lab in collaboration with UCB Pharmaceuticals, where she aims to use single-molecule microscopy to explore the structure and pathogenic capacity of α-synuclein aggregates, a hallmark of synucleinopathies such as Parkinson’s Disease.

Dylan joined the lab in July 2022 as a post-doctoral research associate. He received his master’s degree in Chemistry in 2018 and has since been working towards completing his PhD at The University of Sheffield with Dr. Timothy Craggs and Professor Ashley Cadby. Here he has been working towards improving the throughput of single-molecule FRET measurements with the aim of making the drug screening of 10k candidate biomolecules within 24 hours a real possibility. 

He is also passionate about designing single-molecule methods that are accessible to researchers through either commercial or open-source projects. For example, designing the EI-FLEX by Exciting Instruments Ltd, an instrument that provides confocal single-molecule FRET and FCS for protein conformations, binding and diffusion studies. 

He is now focussing on using super-resolution microscopy to study transmembrane rotary motors with the Horrocks and Cockroft group at The University of Edinburgh. Outside of the lab he enjoys hiking, travelling and playing rugby.

Judi is a histology technician in the group working on Motor Neurone Disease. She previously worked with Dr Jenna Gregory at the University of Edinburgh. 

Agustina joined the lab in July 2023 as a Research Assistant. She completed her undergraduate degree in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Edinburgh. She developed an interest in heart disease during her Honours Project at the Roslin Institute, where she was supervised by Vicky MacRae. She focused on investigating novel molecules that may mediate the protective effects of calorie restriction against vascular calcification. Now, her project in the Horrocks lab aims to illuminate the role of mitochondrial elongation in arterial calcification. Agustina will employ super-resolution imaging techniques to study mitochondrial dysfunction. She will be analysing changes in mitochondrial shape in calcified cells as well as investigating the nanoscopic organisation of critical proteins involved in mitochondria dynamics. 

Tianxiao Zhao joined the Lab in August 2023 as a research assistant. 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 Dr 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 Dr. 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 Dr Horrocks lab with a Medical Research Scotland Scholarship, and co-supervised by Dr 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.

Zuzanna joined the lab as a PhD student in the EASTBIO Doctoral Training Partnership. She has completed a master’s degree in Medicinal and Biological Chemistry at Edinburgh which included a 12-month industrial placement at AstraZeneca. Her work as a support practitioner has stirred an interest in the human brain and neurological diseases, and she is hoping to use her skillset as a chemist to tackle multidisciplinary research. Her project will aim to study and characterise amyloid structures in the brain. Through combining highly specific and sensitive peptide-based probes (project co-supervised by Prof Marc Vendrell) with a novel microscopy technique (FS-FLIM: Full Spectrum Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy), she hopes to observe cytotoxic proteins in situ.

Zoe joined the lab as a PhD student in the EASTBIO (East of Scotland BioScience) Doctoral Training Partnership and is co-supervised by Prof. Lynne Regan. Zoe completed her undergraduate degree in Biophysics at the University of British Columbia, Canada and completed a year of research in the Cashman lab studying Alzheimer’s and motor neurone disease as part of her degree. During this year of research, Zoe decided that she wanted to continue to use microscopy techniques to study neurodegenerative diseases. Zoe is now working on developing a new method to fluorescently tag proteins in mammalian cells, so that they can be imaged via super-resolution microscopy, while minimising the effect on the normal function of the protein.

Katie joined the group as a PhD student. Previous to this, she studied Physics at the University of York. During the summer before her final year, she carried out a 10 week placement in the Single Molecule Biophysics group in York where she used TIRF microscopy and a variety of bulk fluorescence assays to investigate the effect of amyloid beta aggregates on both lipid vesicles and cell membranes. During this project Katie developed a great interest in applying her knowledge of Physics to the life sciences. As a result she completed her masters project in the same group where she studied the conformational dynamics of Rep helicase as it shuttles along DNA. Katie now uses super-resolution microscopy and other techniques in her PhD to study PSD95 superclusters, which make up a large proportion of the post synaptic proteome. Understanding the protein composition of these superclusters and variations in them will hopefully lead to better understanding of neurological conditions such as Autism Spectrum Disorders and Schizophrenia which have been linked to mutations in the genes encoding these proteins.