People & contacts

Neale Lab

Principal Investigator

2007-current   Dr Matt Neale

Matt is an independent group leader, who became a Reader in 2016.
Matt was directly supported by a Royal Society University Research Fellowship from 2007-2015, and by the ERC until Jan 2018.

Our research is/was funded from the following sources:

New Investigator Grant from the Medical Research Council (2009-2012)
Career Development Award from the Human Frontiers Science Program (HFSPO; 2010-2014)
Research Grant from the Royal Society (2011-2013)
Consolidator Grant from the European Research Council (ERC; 2013-2018).
Project Grant from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC; 2015-2018)
New Investigator Award from the Wellcome Trust (2018-2023)

Matt carried out his postdoctoral work in the lab of Prof. Scott Keeney at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre, New York, with the support of a Long-term Fellowship from the HFSPO.

Matt carried out his doctoral studies in the lab of Prof. Alastair Goldman at the University of Sheffield. 

Research Fellows

2015-current Dr Stephanie Schalbetter
Stephi is a postdoctoral researcher who joined us from the Baxter Lab who is investigating the structure of meiotic chromosomes.

2017-current Dr Will Gittens
Will is a postdoctoral researcher who joined us from the Caldecott lab who is investigating Topoisomerase-induced DNA damage and repair.

2018-current Dr Laura Hunt
Laura is a postdoctoral researcher who joined us from the Goldman lab (Sheffield) who is investigating meiotic chromosome structure.


Postgraduate Students

2013-2017 Dominic Johnson is funded via the ERC grant. Dominic is working in collaboration with Kayleigh and Petr Cejka (IMCR, Zurich) to investigate the biochemistry and genetics of DSB end processing during meiosis.

2013-2017 Margaret Crawford is funded from the School of Life Sciences. Marg is investigating the chromatin architecture around meiotic DSB hotspots, and assaying recombination events genome-wide in collaboration with Bertrand Llorente (CNRS, Marseille).

2013-2017 Tim Cooper is funded via the ERC grant. Tim is developing methods to investigate the role of higher order chromosome structure on genetic recombination, and developing mathematical models of DSB and recombination event distribution.

2017-current Luz Maria Lopez Ruiz is funded by the School of LIfe Sciences. Luz is investigating the role that higher order chromosome structure has on the process of genetic recombination and DSB interference.

2018-current Ellie Wright is funded by the School of Life Sciences/ERC and Wellcome Trust. Ellie will investigate the processes that regulate the distribution of DSB formation during meiosis.

 

 

 


Technical Support

2011-current Rachal Allison is a research technician providing managerial support to the lab, and who runs a mean pulsed-field gel.


Project Students

2017-2018 George Brown

2016-2017 Shyla Harvey; Laura Grange; Charlotte Judge

2015-2016 Joseph Slack; Daniel Riva; Simran Marway

2014-2015 Florian Bernard; Louisa Wilson

2013-2014 Matt Smith; Jack Houghton-Gisby; Christopher Webb

2012-2013 Mark Dixon; Jessica Butler

2011-2012 Moe Mohammad

2010-2011 Josiah Emmerson

MSc Students

2017-2018 Charlotte Fisher; Working on Topoisomerase-induced DNA breaks

2016-2017 Marisa Amato; Working on mechanisms of meiotic DSB suppression

2015-2016 Holly Thomas; Working on Topoisomerase-induced DNA breaks

2014-2015 Richard Carpenter; Working on mechanisms of meiotic DSB suppression

2013-2014 Dan Gunton; Working on Topoisomerase II DSB repair

2011-2012 Matt Mook-Sang; Working on role of protein phosphorylation during meiosis

2010-2011 Nisanth Veeturi; Workign on role of Tel1 during meiotic recombination

2009-2010 Sarah Phelps; Working on role of MRX during meiotic DSB repair

 

Former Lab Members

2008-2014 Steve Gray (PhD; Postdoc). Steve is now a postdoc at Cornell University, Ithaca in the Cohen lab.
Whilst a PhD student in my lab Steve demonstrated how the DNA damage checkpoint pathway, Mec1(ATR), positively regulated meiotic DSB formation.

2009-2015 Dr Valerie Garcia (Postdoc). Valerie has a permanent researcher position at the CRCM in Marseille alongside Betrand Llorente.
Whilst in my group Valerie characterised the role of the Mre11 nuclease during meiotic DNA end-resection, and later demonstrated the phenomenon of meiotic DSB interference—showing that it was an Tel1(ATM)-dependent process. 

2013-2017 Dr Kayleigh Wardell (Postdoc). Following her enthusiasm and aptitude for scientific outreach work, Kayleigh is training to be a science teacher!
Whilst in my group, Kayleigh was involved in developing methods to investigate the biochemistry and genetics of DSB end-processing and DSB resection during meiosis.

 


Peak District lab retreat 

2015 Lab Sunny Hill in Stanmer