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Department of Pharmacology

 

The Women in Pharmacology initiative was created by Dr. Catherine Wilson, Dr. Sara Pensa, Dr. Camilla Ascanelli and Cynthia Okoye to highlight the amazing work and experiences of some of the inspirational past and present women from the University of Cambridge, Department of Pharmacology.

Dr Sarah Holloway, Alumnus

Sarah Holloway, based in Chicago, IL, is an alumnus of our Department and a recent retiree. During our interview, we discussed her career that spans the breadth of Pharmacology and continents, which has also exceptionally bridged the gap between science and commercial thought.

Read her interview here

Dr Vasiliki (Vasso) Mavridou

Dr Mavridou is a post-doc in the Miller lab. Her project focuses on the structure and function (modulation) of ion channels. The main target is a voltage-gated ion channel that is crucial for nociception, but she also works on ligand-gated ion channels and inhibitory neurotransmission.
 

Dr Maria Marti Solano

Dr Maria Marti Solano is a new Group Leader in the Department. Her lab is focused on applying computational pharmacology techniques to understand how GPCRs function in different cells, organisms or in individuals.

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Dr Delphine Larrieu

Dr Delphine Larrieu was an Assistant Professor in the Department. Her lab was keenly focused on the nuclear envelope and how it is regulated. Originally from France, she moved to Cambridge for a postdoc opportunity and has been here ever since!

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Dr Dewi Safitri

Dr Dewi Safitri is a postdoctoral researcher within the Ladds’ laboratory in the Department of Pharmacology and an affiliated postdoctoral researcher at Trinity College, Cambridge. Originally from Indonesia, Dewi moved to Cambridge to study for a PhD. 

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Dr Janet Kumita

Janet Kumita is a Group Leader in the Department of Pharmacology who was recently awarded a highly prestigious MRC Career Development Fellowship. Originally from Canada, Janet started her research career studying for a PhD in chemistry at the University of Toronto. Janet then moved to the University of Cambridge, Department of Chemistry after being awarded a NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship.

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Dr Sarah Millington-Burgess

Dr Sarah Millington-Burgess is the new Department of Pharmacology Senior Teaching Associate and a College Teaching Associate in Sidney Sussex College. Sarah has been in Cambridge for 10 years, completing her Natural Sciences undergraduate degree followed by a PhD studying platelet biology and thrombosis, funded by the British Heart Foundation. Sarah is an exceptionally passionate and gifted researcher and teacher; we interviewed Sarah and asked her about her experience working in Pharmacology.

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Dr Catherine Lindon

Dr Cathrine Lindon is a molecular cell biologist. Research in her lab is focused on ubiquitin signalling: theystudy how it controls protein destruction (proteolysis) and how proteolysis regulates the cell cycle. Their newest projects aim to harness ubiquitin signalling to create new therapeutic strategies.

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Dr Alecia-Jane Twigger

Alecia is a postdoctoral researcher in the Khaled group in the Department of Pharmacology. Having only moved to Cambridge in 2019 she has been incredibly successful already publishing an arsenal of manuscripts, including one analysing the transcriptional profiles of single cells purified from human breast milk.

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Dr Giovanna Zinzalla

Dr Giovanna Zinzalla is a visiting researcher in the Department of Pharmacology, collaborating with Prof. Laura Itzhaki to target transcription factors for therapeutic intervention.

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Professor Laura Itzhaki

Professor Laura Itzhaki recently became our Head of Department in Pharmacology, continuing her hugely successful academic career. After completing her undergraduate degree at the University of Oxford, Laura moved to the University of Cambridge, Department of Biochemistry for her PhD.

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Dr Peace Atakpa

Dr Peace Atakpa holds a highly prised Junior Research Fellowship at Emmanuel College, and is undertaking her post‐doctoral research in the Taylor laboratory in the Department of Pharmacology. Originally from Nigeria, Peace completed her undergraduate studies in the University of Liverpool, before moving to Cambridge University for her PhD, funded by the Cambridge European and International Trust.

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Dr Sampurna Chakrabarti

Dr Sampurna Chakrabarti is an incredibly successful former member of the Pharmacology Department. Originally from Kolkata, India, Sam completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Buffalo, and was then awarded a Gates Cambridge PhD studentship.

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Dr Lesley MacVinish

Dr Lesley MacVinish is an Affiliated Lecturer in the Department of Pharmacology and Fellow of Wolfson College. Lesley has been a longstanding member of the department and we will be sad to see her go at the end of 2020. We interviewed Lesley and asked her about her time working in Pharmacology.

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