Research

Arkajyoti Banerjee

PhD Student
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Biography

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Arkajyoti.Banerjee@earlham.ac.uk

Arkajyoti Banerjee

 

I am a PhD student in the Quince group at the Earlham Institute, on the UKRI MRC-funded Microbes, Microbiomes and Bioinformatics Doctoral Training Programme (MMB DTP).

My research focuses on developing novel bioinformatics tools and molecular methods to resolve the strain-level dynamics of microbiome transplantation.

Before joining the Earlham Institute, I completed an Integrated BS-MS in Biological Sciences at the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Kolkata (India) in 2025. During my master’s project, I explored the cancer immune checkpoint, primarily through structural bioinformatics and computational biology.

In 2024, I was selected in the prestigious Khorana Program for Scholars, an Indo-US exchange programme, and completed a summer internship at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (USA), where I investigated ion-binding dynamics in sodium-coupled transporter proteins using molecular dynamics simulations.

Prior to that, in 2023, I also undertook a summer internship at Jadavpur University, Kolkata (India), where I was first introduced to bioinformatics, particularly transcriptomic analysis.

Research

Edie Holmes

PhD Student
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Edie.Holmes@earlham.ac.uk

 


I am an NRPDTP PhD student working within the Macaulay group.

My research focuses on developing single-cell techniques to resolve complex forensic samples. This project aims to integrate cutting-edge genomic research into Forensic Science, combining single-cell isolation, phenotyping, and sequencing techniques with novel methods for human identification.

Prior to joining the Earlham Institute, I conducted my BSc (Hons) in Forensic Science at Liverpool John Moores University. Following my undergraduate degree, I completed a summer studentship with Applied Microbiology International before undertaking my MSc in Forensic Medical Sciences at Queen Mary’s Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry.

Research

Caoimhe Dwan

PhD Student
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caoimhe.dwan@earlham.ac.uk

I am an NRP DTP PhD student in the Wojtowicz Group. 

My project investigates how low-protein diets influence development and function of selected innate immune cell lineages. Using single cell multiomics, lineage tracing, and metabolomics, my research project aims to uncover how diet shapes haematopoiesis and immune resilience.

Before joining the Earlham Institute, I completed a bachelor’s degree in Biomedical, Health and Life Sciences at University College Dublin. In 2021, I worked as a lab technician in Eurofins Biomnis’ COVID PCR laboratory, conducting testing for the Irish Health Service Executive. I then spent three years as a Quality Control Specialist at Stemcell Technologies in Vancouver, Canada, where I focused on evaluating and optimising immune cell isolation technologies.

New software tool MARTi fast-tracks identification and response to microbial threats.

27 October 2025

Scientists at the Earlham Institute introduce MARTi, a powerful new tool for the real-time analysis of nanopore metagenomics.

Notes to editors.

Research

Fanny Combe

PhD Student
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Biography

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fanny.combe@earlham.ac.uk

 


 

I am a PhD student on the Norwich Research Park Doctoral Training Partnership (NRPDTP), working in Prof. Anthony Hall’s group. My project focuses on how RNA splicing influences gene expression and diversity in wheat. Using long-read RNA sequencing data and computational approaches, 

I aim to characterise alternative splicing patterns across wheat cultivars to better understand their role in gene regulation and transcript diversity.

Before joining the Earlham Institute, I completed an Honours degree in Biological Sciences at the University of Edinburgh, specialising in Genetics. 

I then obtained a Master’s degree in Genetics, Genomics, Epigenetics and Evolution at the University Paris-Saclay, where I developed a strong interest in transcriptomics and bioinformatics.

Research

Rafaela Theodora Merika

PhD Student
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Rafaela.Merika@earlham.ac.uk

 

I have a background in computer science, holding a first-class BSc from the University of Bath and an MPhil in Machine Learning and Machine Intelligence from the University of Cambridge. 

I previously worked as a full-stack developer on AI-driven products, then transitioned to computational biology as a visiting collaborator at the Earlham Institute. 

As of October 2025, I have started a Marie Skłodowska-Curie PhD at Earlham. My research focuses on applying machine learning for cross-species cell atlases and gene regulatory networks, with the goal of advancing our understanding of regenerative mechanisms across species.

Research

Love Odunlami

John Innes Foundation PhD Student
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Love.Odunlami@earlham.ac.uk

Love Odunlami

I am a John Innes Foundation-funded PhD student in Prof. Anthony Hall’s group at the Earlham Institute. 

My PhD project is focused on uncovering the genetic basis of gene expression in elite wheat varieties underlying key agronomic traits.

I hold a BSc in Crop Production and Protection from Obafemi Awolowo University, where I worked on developing maize hybrids, and an MPhil in Seed Science and Technology from WACCI, University of Ghana, focused on evaluating soybean genotypes.

I later completed an MSc in Global Plant Health at The Sainsbury Laboratory (TSL), working in Jonathan Jones’ group on stacking resistance genes against tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV). 

Prior to commencing my PhD, I joined Dan MacLean’s Bioinformatics team at TSL as a predoctoral intern, where I developed machine learning models for effector prediction.