Shirley Graham

Shirley Graham is a Research Fellow at the University of St Andrews School of Biology, focusing on CRISPR-Cas bacterial immune systems. Her work examines molecular mechanisms of type III CRISPR effectors, antiviral signaling pathways, and nuclease regulation.

Key research areas include:

• Cyclic nucleotide signaling in antiviral defense
• Structural enzymology of CRISPR-associated nucleases
• CRISPR system regulation and inactivation mechanisms
• Bacterial-phage coevolution

Recent publications characterize novel CRISPR ancillary effectors, antiviral signaling via ATP-SAM conjugation, and structural foundations of type III CRISPR complexes. Work increasingly explores therapeutic applications for antibacterial strategies and phage resistance engineering. Methodological strengths include structural biology (cryo-EM), bioinformatic discovery of defense systems, and biochemical analysis of enzyme kinetics.

Research contributes to the National Center for Smart Growth and integrates computational predictions with experimental validation of immune mechanisms.