Research

Tina Asgari

PhD Student
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Profile of Tina Asgari

Biography

Contact details:

tina.asgari@earlham.ac.uk

Tina Asgari

I am an NRPDTP PhD student at the Earlham Institute, working in the Haerty Group. My project, “The message in the noise: characterisation and quantification of noise in alternative splicing using long-read sequencing,” is funded by UKRI Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). 

My research focuses on understanding how variability in alternative splicing contributes to gene regulation and cellular complexity.

Before starting my PhD, I worked as a Bioinformatician at Sitryx Therapeutics, a company focused on regulating cell metabolism to develop disease-modifying therapeutics for chronic autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. 

In this role, I analysed microarray and Illumina bulk RNA-seq datasets for autoimmune conditions, including Asthma and Atopic Dermatitis, and contributed to building an internal database to support research and discovery efforts.

Prior to this, I completed a highly competitive one-year industrial placement at MSD, where I gained hands-on experience in bioinformatics, neuroscience, and R&D. During my placement, I developed a comprehensive bioinformatics pipeline to support biomarker discovery efforts.

Research

Gurpinder Singh Sidhu

Postdoctoral Research Scientist
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Biography

Personal pronouns: He/him

Contact details:

gurpinder.sidhu@earlham.ac.uk

 


 

I am working as part of the EU Horizon / Innovate UK funded project "Next Generation Tools for Genome-Centric Multimodal Data Integration in Personalised Medicine". 

My work focuses on developing machine learning applications to investigate the implications of genetic variation within noncoding functional elements in relation to cardiovascular disorders.

I did my PhD in computational biology at the John Innes Centre, where I worked on gene regulatory networks controlling flowering time in a polyploid plant, Brassica napus

My broad research interest is using mathematical and computational techniques to understand biological systems.

Research

Louis Perrin

PhD Student
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Profile of Louis Perrin

Biography

Personal pronouns: He/him

Contact details:

louis.perrin@earlham.ac.uk

Louis Perrin


 

I am a John Innes Foundation PhD student in the Guiziou Group, where I work on the engineering of soil bacteria (mainly Pseudomonas) capable of detecting and recording soil health using synthetic biology technologies.

My project aims to develop sentinel bacteria that can convert environmental signals into genetic memory, providing new tools to better understand and monitor soil dynamics.

Before starting my PhD, I obtained a Master’s degree in Plant Sciences from Université Paris-Saclay, during which I completed two research internships that allowed me to become familiar with the research environment and gain solid experience in molecular biology and plant-microbe interactions.

Evolutionary genomics under sexual and clonal reproduction in hybrid wild grasses

Vacancy details:

Start date: 01 October 2026
Application deadline: 07 January 2026
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Interspecific hybridisation is a common mechanism of diversification in plants, unlike in animals, largely because plants can overcome hybrid sterility through chromosome doubling, resulting in polyploid plants. Hybridisation and polyploidisation trigger genome-wide instability and reprogramming, manifesting as extensive structural and epigenetic variation, a phenomenon known as “genomic shock”. 

Genomic signatures underlying functional diversity in root symbiotic fungi

Vacancy details:

Start date: 01 October 2026
Application deadline: 07 January 2026
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Ectomycorrhizal fungi (ECMF) are a crucial yet often overlooked group of organisms that play a key role in the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems. 

These fungi form symbiotic associations with plant root systems, where plants supply sugars to their fungal partners and, in return, ECMF provide essential nutrients and confer additional benefits, such as enhanced tolerance to drought and salinity. In the face of rapid environmental change, understanding how different organisms respond to shifting conditions is more important than ever. 

Engineering stable synthetic chromosomes

Vacancy details:

Start date: 01 October 2026
Application deadline: 02 December 2025
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Recent technological advances allow us to design and construct entire chromosomes, allowing unprecedented potential for the creation of cellular machines.

These synthetic designer de novo chromosomes allow us to address fundamental biological questions, systematically re-engineer genetic components, incorporate large-scale metabolic pathways, and ultimately engineer programmable organisms.

To fulfil this potential, it is crucial to understand the design principals for stable maintenance of synthetic chromosomes.

Combatting wheat take-all disease with in-field and synthetic microbial communities

Vacancy details:

Start date: 01 October 2026
Application deadline: 02 December 2025
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The rhizosphere – the region of soil and associated microbes directly interacting with plant roots - is an area that is increasingly recognised for its role in plant health.

This is particularly relevant for take-all, the most devastating wheat root disease worldwide, which can reduce yields by up to 20%.

The importance of root microbial community in take-all symptom prevention is well established, as both bacterial and fungal species have been found which suppress take-all development.