Kalesh Karunakaran

Dr. Kalesh Karunakaran is a Senior Lecturer in Chemistry at Teesside University's School of Health & Life Sciences, leading the BSc (Hons) Pharmaceutical Science Course. His research focuses on chemical proteomics, particularly posttranslational modifications (PTMs) and their role in diseases like cancer and neglected tropical diseases (e.g., leishmaniasis). He holds a PhD from the National University of Singapore and has held postdoctoral positions at Imperial College London and Durham University.

Education:

• PhD in Chemical Biology (National University of Singapore, 2010)
• MSc in Chemistry (Indian Institute of Technology Madras, 2004)
• Bachelor's in Chemistry (Mahatma Gandhi University, 2002)

Research Interests:

• Development of chemical probes for protein function analysis
• PTM dysregulation in cancer and parasitic diseases
• Heat shock protein biology and inhibitor design
• Proteomic methodologies (e.g., activity-based proteomics, quantitative mass spectrometry)

Awards & Grants:

• Marie Curie Individual Fellowship (2012–2014)
• MRC-GCRF Grant (~£230,000 for Leishmania research)
• Royal Society Research Grant
• Associate Editor, Frontiers in Pharmacology

Labs & Collaborations: Leads a multidisciplinary lab integrating chemical synthesis, proteomics, and bioinformatics. Collaborates with groups at Imperial College London, Institute of Cancer Research, and global institutions on infectious disease research.