Penny Powell

Penny Powell is an Associate Professor at Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia (UEA), where she has been a faculty member since 2015. She serves as a key researcher in the Metabolic Health and Gastroenterology and Gut Biology research groups and has held leadership roles including Director of Postgraduate Research and Associate Dean for Postgraduate Research. She contributes to the MBBS medical program as the Biochemistry lead and mentor for the SSS research pathway.

• PhD Biochemistry, Imperial College, University of London
• BSc Biochemistry, Imperial College, University of London

Her research focuses on eukaryotic virus-host interactions, particularly how RNA viruses like influenza, coronavirus, and alphavirus modulate interferon signaling, autophagy, RNA interference, and stress responses. A central theme is understanding how host genotype influences susceptibility to viral infection. She employs gut organoids, transcriptomics, and proteomics to study immune regulation in the gut and its implications for diseases like Crohn’s and ME/CFS.

Her recent publications show a strong focus on the role of ATG16L1 in non-canonical autophagy, viral defense, and cytokine signaling. She investigates how autophagy proteins regulate plasma membrane integrity, stress granule formation, and LC3-associated phagocytosis during viral infection. Her work bridges virology, immunology, and cell biology, with applications in infectious diseases and chronic inflammatory conditions.

• ME Research UK: Gut eukaryotic viruses in ME/CFS
• Roche Diagnostics: Genetic susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2
• Bone Cancer Research Trust: TP53 restoration via mRNA vaccines
• Invest in ME: Viral responses after FMT in ME/CFS
• Norfolk & Norwich Hospitals NHS Trust: Genetic risk factors in severe viral infection

She actively supervises PhD and MSc students and has contributed to medical education through curriculum leadership in biochemistry. Her collaborative network spans virology, immunology, and gastroenterology, and she is a regular contributor to high-impact journals in cell biology and infectious diseases.