معرفی
Dr Joe Cockburn is a Lecturer in the School of Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Leeds, Faculty of Biological Sciences. His research integrates structural biology, biophysics, and cell biology to understand how cellular components are positioned via the cytoskeleton, with a focus on molecular motors and ciliary function.
Education:
- BA, MSci, Fitzwilliam College, University of Cambridge (2000)
- DPhil, University of Oxford (2005)
Research Interests: Dr Cockburn's lab investigates how cellular cargoes recruit and regulate molecular motors like kinesin-1, which are essential for long-range transport in cells. His group also studies the ciliary transition zone, a critical structure that maintains the unique composition of primary cilia and whose dysfunction leads to inherited disorders such as Joubert and Meckel-Gruber syndromes. Using X-ray crystallography, cryo-EM, and cell imaging, his team aims to uncover the molecular architecture of these systems.
Collaborations: He works with Dr Stuart Warriner (University of Leeds), Dr Alison Twelvetrees (University of Sheffield), Prof. Colin Johnson (University of Leeds), and Prof. Lotte Bang Pedersen (University of Copenhagen). His interdisciplinary work bridges structural biology with disease mechanisms.
Scientific Awards:
Advising and Grants: Dr Cockburn supervises postgraduate researchers, including Travis Bannell, and welcomes PhD applicants. His research is supported through institutional and collaborative funding, with implications for gene therapy development in ciliopathies.
Labs and Teams: He leads a research group within the Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology at the University of Leeds, focusing on integrative structural biology approaches to solve complex cellular mechanisms.
