Alastair Kerr is a Senior Research Specialist and Group Leader at the Department of Medicine, Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet. His research focuses on elucidating how long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) regulate lipid metabolism and contribute to cardiometabolic disease in adipocytes. He leads the Long noncoding RNA in the adipocyte research group, which integrates human adipose tissue biopsies, population genetics, and advanced molecular tools like CRISPRi/a and his novel TROOPS method to study lncRNA functions. Education & Career PhD in Molecular Biology (University of Oxford, 2017) Postdoctoral studies at Karolinska Institutet (2017–present) Research Highlights He discovered the lncRNA ADIPINT, which modulates pyruvate carboxylase activity to regulate triglyceride synthesis. His lab investigates lncRNA roles in lipid droplet metabolism and develops methods like TROOPS for high-throughput lncRNA interactome analysis. Current work links genetic variants in lncRNAs to metabolic dysfunction. Awards & Funding Swedish Research Council grants Novo Nordisk Foundation support ERC Starting Grant (2024) Laboratory Team Jordi Mengual Martí (Research Assistant) Katharina Schormair (PhD Student) Bingran Xie (Postdoctoral Researcher) Opportunities Open positions for students and researchers; contact alastair.kerr@ki.se for inquiries.
Michael Woodley is a Research Fellow in the Department of Physics at the University of Bath, specializing in nonlinear optical phenomena and photonics. His work bridges theoretical modeling and experimental implementation in advanced optical systems. His educational background includes: Doctor of Engineering in Nonlinear dynamics from National Physical Laboratory, Max-Planck-Institut für die Physik des Lichts, and Heriot-Watt University (2016-2020, awarded April 2021) Master of Science in Theoretical Physics via Natural Sciences from University of Birmingham (2012-2016) Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (awarded July 2024) Woodley's research explores the fundamental interactions of light in microresonator systems, with particular focus on broken symmetry phenomena, Kerr nonlinearities, and counter-propagating light waves. His fingerprint analysis reveals dominant expertise in Resonator Physics (100%), Microresonator Physics (95%), and Broken Symmetry Physics (100%), with significant contributions to Kerr Effect (40%) and Cross-Phase Modulation (21%). His publication record shows a clear trajectory from fundamental research on light-matter interactions toward applied technologies, with recent work developing quantum sensing systems and advanced optical controllers. The citation metrics (41-44 citations for key papers) indicate strong impact in the photonics community, with multiple papers featured in high-impact journals including Nature Communications and Physical Review Letters. His professional recognition includes: Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (July 2024) Woodley maintains active collaborations across the UK research landscape, currently serving as a Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Sussex (from December 2024) and previously as a Visiting Researcher at the University of Cambridge (2024). His work demonstrates strong interdisciplinary connections between theoretical physics, optical engineering, and quantum technology development.
Fabricio Toscano is an Adjunct Professor at the Institute of Physics , Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). His research focuses on quantum information, quantum chaos, and the quantum-classical transition, with a particular emphasis on semiclassical mechanics and decoherence in chaotic systems. Education : Bachelor's Degree in Physical Sciences (1995), University of Buenos Aires PhD in Physics (2000), Brazilian Center for Physical Research He works with the Quantum Optics and Quantum Information Group , exploring nonlocality and entanglement in continuous-variable systems. His recent publications highlight advancements in quantum uncertainty relations, entanglement detection, and optical phase-space dynamics. Scientific Awards : CNPq Research Productivity Scholarship – Level 2 Fabricio has advised students like Gabriela Barreto Lemos and Wellison Peixoto Bastos. His lab at UFRJ investigates quantum chaos and open systems using experimental and theoretical approaches.
Valerie Clinard serves as Associate Dean of Experiential Education and Professional Development at the University of California San Francisco School of Pharmacy. She holds a Professor position in the Department of Clinical Pharmacy and oversees both Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience (IPPE) and Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) programs. PharmD, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2000) PGY1 Residency in Community-Based Pharmacy, Campbell University College of Pharmacy at Kerr Drug, Inc. (2001) Her research focuses on experiential education , pharmacy education , and transitions of care . She contributes to curriculum transformation initiatives and implements innovative pharmacy practice experiences. Her work examines pharmacist roles in chronic disease management , toxicology , and warfarin therapy . Key scientific recognitions include: 2019-2020 Annual Teaching Awards 2020 Recognition for Educational Contributions 2016 Troy C. Daniels Awards for Curricular Transformation Clinard leads preceptor development programs and collaborates with UCSF Medical Center teams. She maintains active involvement in the UCSF Academy of Medical Educators and contributes to national pharmacy education standards.
Sebastian Maehrlein is a Group Leader heading the THz Structural Dynamics research group within the Department of Physical Chemistry at the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society in Berlin. Since June 2020, he has led this independent research group, which received a prestigious six-year Emmy Noether grant from the German Research Foundation (DFG) in July 2022. His research group consists of five PhD students, three postdoctoral researchers, and maintains active collaborations with institutions in France, the Netherlands, and the United States. Maehrlein's research focuses on understanding and controlling structural dynamics in materials using intense terahertz and mid-infrared laser pulses. His group investigates how spatial arrangements of atoms can be modulated on ultrafast time scales to control material properties and potentially discover new material features. Key research areas include lattice trajectory control, dynamically disordered systems, molecular rotations in solids, nonlinear phononics, and lattice-driven phenomena. The group particularly studies phonon anharmonicities, molecular orientations in solids, and dynamically disordered systems, with significant work on lead halide perovskites and 2D materials. The group's recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on coherent control of lattice dynamics, with numerous papers in high-impact journals including Nature Physics, Science Advances, and Advanced Materials. Their research shows a clear trend toward understanding angular momentum transfer in crystal lattices, symmetry breaking in hybrid materials, and developing novel techniques for THz spectroscopy and control. The work has significant implications for optoelectronics, quantum materials, and ultrafast control of material properties. Scientific Awards: Emmy Noether grant from German Research Foundation (DFG) Prof. Maehrlein actively supervises multiple PhD students and postdoctoral researchers, with a track record of successful student outcomes including Marie Cherasse's PhD graduation in December 2022 and her subsequent receipt of the French L'Oréal UNESCO Award for Women in Science. His group participates in the ANR-DFG research consortium '2D-HYPE' and the Max Planck-Radboud Center for IR-FEL spectroscopy, securing substantial external funding for their research. The THz Structural Dynamics group maintains strong international collaborations, particularly with research groups in France, the Netherlands, and the United States. The THz Structural Dynamics group operates state-of-the-art laboratories for generating highly intense and phase-stable laser pulses in the THz and mid-infrared spectral range. Their facilities enable coherent driving of specific structural dynamics on fundamental time and energy scales, allowing exploration of tailored lattice trajectories that may steer solids into hidden states. The group has made significant contributions to understanding nonlinear phononics and developing novel spectroscopic techniques for studying ultrafast structural dynamics.
