Research Groups

There are currently over 30 research groups at the Dunn School, with leaders drawn from across the world. Their diverse interests, backgrounds and expertise creates a dynamic and stimulating environment. Many groups share common research interests which fosters the vibrant scientific community found at the Dunn School.

Dragana Ahel

Mechanisms of genome stability

The maintenance of a complete and undamaged genome is critical for survival. Because DNA is continuously exposed to genotoxic stress, cells have evolved mechanisms that are specialized for correcting different types of DNA damage. These mechanisms play essential roles in the maintenance of genome integrity and their deficiencies have been...

Ivan Ahel

Ivan Ahel

DNA repair mechanisms and human disease

Our genome is constantly exposed to various types of DNA damage, both endogenous and exogenous. It has been estimated that the DNA in every cell of our body suffers thousands of DNA lesions per day, which, if left unattended, can lead to mutations and/or cell death. Our cells have evolved a variety of mechanisms to counteract...

Luis Alberto Baena

Luis Alberto Baena

Deciphering the emerging functions of caspases

Most of the scientific focus on the evolutionarily conserved family of caspases has been aimed at understanding their role as key regulators of cell death. However, recent evidence suggests the involvement of these proteins in alternative cellular functions such as cell proliferation, cell differentiation and cell migration...

Tanmay Bharat

From April 2022, Tanmay Bharat's group will be located at the MRC laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, maintaining a small team at the Dunn School.

Structural cell biology of bacterial biofilm formation

Rather than living as single, isolated cells in liquid cultures, most bacteria on this planet form macroscopic, surface-attached,...

Pedro Carvalho

Pedro Carvalho

Organelle biogenesis and homeostasis

A defining feature of eukaryotic cells is the presence of a variety of membrane-bound organelles. Each one of these organelles has a specialized set of functions and a unique identity conferred by a distinct set of lipid and protein molecules. Our lab studies how organelle identity, function and architecture is generated and...

Omer Dushek

Omer Dushek

Molecular immunology of signal integration by T cell surface receptors

T cells are important white blood cells that continually circulate in the body in search of the molecular signatures ('antigens') of infection and cancer. When encountering such antigens T cells become activated and subsequently initiate immune responses in order to clear these threats. Their...