Meet the Team

Dr Simon Moore - Lecturer in Synthetic Biology

Dr Simon Moore began as a PhD student with Prof Martin Warren (University of Kent), working on tetrapyrrole natural product biosynthesis, the so-called “pigments of life”. Dr Moore elucidated the anaerobic biosynthesis of vitamin B12 and coenzyme F430. In 2013, he joined Imperial College London with Prof Paul Freemont and Prof Karen Polizzi to study the rising field of synthetic biology. During this time, he learned about cell-free systems. Then, in 2017 he began an independent fellowship (Wellcome Trust ISSF) to study Streptomyces natural products, where he developed the Streptomyces TX-TL system. In 2018, Simon started as a lecturer at Kent, before joining Queen Mary University of London in Jan 2023. He works within the newly emerging synthetic biology for natural products field.

Dr Lakshmeesha Nagappa - PDRA

Funded by the Leverhulme Trust and co-supervised by Dr Tobias von der Haar (Kent)


Miss Agata Kennedy (former Lesniewska) - PhD student

Kent Graduate Training Assistant


Miss Kameshwari Chengan - PhD student

GCRF funded and co-supervised by Prof Mark Smales


Kent alumni

Mr Thomas Chinnery - Research Technician (Aug - Dec 2022)

Mr Kyle Preston - MSc in Biotechnology and Bioengineering (Summer 2022)

Mr Guy Griffin - Summer student funded by the Eric Reid fund, Biochemical Society (July-Aug 2022)

Mr Erick Gomes Oliviera - PhD Microbiology BBSRC SoCoBio (Feb-May 2022)

Miss Tanith Hanson - MSc Infectious Diseases (Summer 2021)

Miss Eleanor Harriss - MSc Business and Biotechnology (Summer 2021)

Mr Josh Harman - MSc Microbiology (2020-2021)

Dr Sarah Blackburn - Research assistant, Wellcome Trust (2019-2021)

Mr Quentin Daigle - MSc Biotechnology and Bioengineering (Summer 2020)

Miss Maria Ignatyeva - MSc Biotechnology and Bioengineering (Summer 2020)

Mr Seth Coode - MSc Biochemistry (2019-2020)

Mr Samuel Jones - MSc Biochemistry (2019-2020)

Miss Katie Latham - Stacey Fund summer student (2019)


Imperial College London alumni

Dr Hung-En Lai - PhD Biochemistry (2016-2019)

Miss Hajel Mistry - MSc Applied Biosciences & Biotechnology (2018)

Miss Asha Adde - MRes Molecular and Cellular Biosciences (2018)

Mr Alexander Duggan - MRes Systems and Synthetic Biology (2017)

Miss Hannah Needham - MSc Molecular and Cellular Biosciences (2017)