معرفی
Sheena Radford is the Astbury Professor of Biophysics and a Royal Society Research Professor at the University of Leeds, where she is also Group Leader of the Radford Laboratory within the Faculty of Biological Sciences and the School of Molecular and Cellular Biology. She has been a key figure in the Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, serving as its Director from 2012 to 2021.
Education:
- BSc in Biochemistry, University of Birmingham
- PhD in Biochemistry, University of Cambridge (with Professor R.N. Perham, FRS)
- Postdoctoral training and Royal Society University Research Fellowship at the Oxford Centre for Molecular Sciences
Her research centers on protein folding, misfolding, and aggregation, with a focus on the structural dynamics of both water-soluble and membrane proteins. Using biophysical techniques such as NMR, cryo-EM, mass spectrometry, and single-molecule methods, her work explores the mechanisms of amyloid formation in diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and type II diabetes, as well as the folding of outer membrane proteins in Gram-negative bacteria. Her lab has developed innovative assays to stabilize therapeutic proteins against aggregation and has contributed to method development in structural biology.
The 15 most recent publications highlight a consistent focus on amyloid polymorphism, structural dynamics, chaperone function, and membrane protein biogenesis. These works reflect a strong trend in applying cutting-edge biophysical and structural methods to understand fundamental mechanisms of protein behavior in health and disease, with translational implications for biopharmaceutical development and neurodegeneration.
Scientific Awards and Honors:
- Biochemical Society Colworth Medal (1996)
- Royal Society of Chemistry Astra-Zeneca Prize (2005)
- Protein Society Carl Branden Award (2013)
- Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE, 2020)
- Fellow of the Royal Society (2014)
- International Member of the National Academy of Sciences (2024)
- Doctorate honoris causa, University of Liège (2022)
She has supervised over 160 PhD students and postdoctoral researchers, has served on numerous scientific advisory boards and funding panels, and is Associate Editor of the Journal of Molecular Biology. She is also a Trustee of the Dementia Research Institute and a Regional Champion for the Academy of Medical Sciences. Her leadership extends to sustainability, with her lab achieving Gold LEAF status.
She leads a multidisciplinary research group collaborating with experts in structural biology, chemical biology, and biophysics, including long-standing partnerships with David Brockwell, Neil Ranson, and David Baker. Her lab, the Radford Laboratory, is a core component of the Astbury Centre, a world-renowned hub for structural molecular biology.
