Research

Fanny Combe

PhD Student
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Biography

Contact details:

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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Biography

Contact details:

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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Biography

Personal pronouns: He/him

Contact details:

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.

Event Science

Earlham Student Body Symposium 2025

Bringing together the Norwich Research Park to explore, share, and celebrate the research of Earlham Institute PhD students.

Start date: 27 November 2025
End date: 27 November 2025
Time: 09.00 - 17.00
Venue: Earlham Institute (Norwich UK)
Organiser: William Lloyd
Registration deadline: 23 November 2025
Cost: Free

About the event

The Earlham Institute student symposium is back for another exciting year of talks, posters, and networking, celebrating the breadth and creativity of student research.

The programme will feature presentations from third- and fourth-year PhD students, offering a showcase of cutting-edge research and innovative ideas. 

Second-year students will deliver flash poster talks, and our poster session will provide an opportunity to explore research in more detail while connecting with peers.

Alongside the academic programme, we will host interactive activities as well as plenty of opportunities to network over coffee breaks and lunch.

Our goal is to create a comfortable and relaxed environment where students can confidently present their research. 

Please note: This symposium is open to students and scientists at one of the Norwich Bioscience Institutes (NBI), including the Earlham Institute (EI), the John Innes Centre (JIC), the Sainsbury Laboratory (TSL) and the Quadram Institute (QIB).

 

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Colleagues networking during the last student symposium

Register today.

Registration deadline: 23 November 2025

Participation: First come, first served

Research

Haitao Han

Visiting PhD Student
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Biography

Contact details:

Haitao.Han@earlham.ac.uk

 

 

Haitao is a visiting PhD student at the Earlham Institute working within Chris Quince’s group.

His doctoral research focused on computational methods related to metagenomics.

Prior to starting at the Earlham Institute, Haitao was a Ph.D. student at the Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-inspired Intelligence (ISTBI), Fudan University.

Event Scientific training

Detection of DNA base modification using nanopore sequencing 2026

In this comprehensive two-day course, participants will learn how to use nanopore sequencing to detect DNA base modifications.

Start date: 13 May 2026
End date: 14 May 2026
Time: 09.30 - 16.30
Venue: Online (via Zoom)
Organiser: Conrad Nieduszynski
Enquiries:

training@earlham.ac.uk

 

Registration deadline: 24 April 2026
Cost: £150 academic / £250 industry

About the event

The course covers experimental design, including important considerations for generating ultra long Nanopore sequencing reads. Through a blend of lectures and hands-on sessions, attendees will gain the skills necessary to analyse base modification profiles in various contexts. 

We will also include an exploration of relevant research case studies and practice visualising and manipulating base modification data using genome browsers and other tools. 

What will I learn? 

  • Principles of base modification detection using Nanopore sequencing
  • Experimental considerations for generating ultra long Nanopore sequencing reads
  • Sequence alignment (minimap2) and data QC (pycoQC)
  • Hands-on experience with detection of base modifications e.g. BrdU, methylation (DNAscent, Dorado)
  • Visualisation and manipulation of base modification data (IGV, modBAM)
  • Comparison of single molecule base modification detection approaches  

Who is this training for?

Early career researchers who are in the planning stages of a research project looking at base modification detection.  

Course prerequisites 

You should have familiarity with the command line, and either be familiar with actions as in the Software Carpentry lesson on The Unix Shell; or work through these before the training course starts. 

 

Above Image: Oxford Nanopore Technologies, February 2023.

Register today.

Registration deadline: 24 April 2026

Participation: First come, first served

Research

Tina Asgari

PhD Student
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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.