Kyle Morris Ph.D. B.Sc.
Structural Biologist – Biophysicist
Research
Postdoc (Hurley Lab), QB3, University of California Berkeley, USA Jun 2016 – Present Structure determination of high profile target complexes using cryo-electron microscopy. Training and supervision of researchers at all levels in instrumentation and computational processing for high resolution cryo-electron microscopy. Postdoctoral Research Fellow (Smith Lab), School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, UK
Mar 2013 – Apr 2016
Structural determination of clathrin assembly using high resolution cryo-electron microscopy (EM). Disassembly of clathrin cages by the chaperone hsc70 and adaptor auxilin, research utilising single cysteine site-specific single molecule FRET in alternating-laser excitation (ALEX) confocal measurements. Direct supervision of PhD graduate students on their research projects. BBSRC Visiting Postdoctoral Scholar (Cheng Lab), Macromolecular Structure Group, University of California San Francisco, USA Jan 2014 – Feb 2014 & Oct 2014 – Dec 2014 High-resolution cryo-EM studies of clathrin architecture and adaptor binding using direct electron detection systems and advanced image-processing methods. Postdoctoral Research Assistant (Serpell Lab), School of Life Sciences University of Sussex, UK
Jul 2012 – Feb 2013
Continued research and publication of research carried out during my Ph.D.
PhD (Serpell Lab), School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, UK
Oct 2008 – Jun 2012
Structural biology and biophysical characterisation of self-assembling proteins including amyloid-like peptides, low-molecular weight gelators, silks and amyloids using X-ray fibre diffraction, circular and linear dichroism, transmission electron microscopy and molecular modelling. Direct supervision of final year undergraduate students on their research projects.
Placement Student (Bioanalytical Development), GlaxoSmithKline, UK
Sep 2006 – Sep 2007
During the course of this placement I worked on two projects developing methods required to support therapeutic monoclonal antibody development. I successfully transferred and developed a residual genomic DNA real time qPCR assay onto a new high throughput automated nucleic acid extraction platform. Further, I initiated the development of a real time reverse transcription qPCR assay for the detection of retrovirus like particles in CHO cell cultures.
Wellcome Scholarship Student (Triantafilou Lab), School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, UK
Jul 2006 – Aug 2006
I conducted research into immunological cellular responses to HRV. This involved elucidating the expression levels of innate immune receptors by flow cytometry in response to in vitro infection. Further investigations were made using western blots, confocal microscopy and cytometic arrays.
Teaching experience 2013 – 2016 Direct supervision of PhD graduate students and final year undergraduate research projects in the Smith lab at the University of Warwick 2008 – 2013 Direct supervision of final year undergraduate research projects in the Serpell lab at the University of Sussex 2008 – 2013 Instructor on various bioinformatics course at the University of Sussex 2008 – 2013 I delivered undergraduate material in a seminar format to tutees on courses including Biological Chemistry, Bioinformatics, Bioenergetics and Cell & Molecular Biology. Funding & Awards 2017 - First author poster prize winner @ CCPEM Spring Symposium 2017 2016 - Co-author and major contributor to the successful BBSRC award BB/N008391/1
2014 - Named researcher, co-author and major contributor to the successful BBSRC travel award Education
Biochemistry Ph.D., University of Sussex, UK
Oct 2008 – Jun 2012
During my Ph.D. my area of research was anisotropic self-assembly; in particular the structural and biophysical characterisation of short amyloidogenic peptides and low molecular weight gelators. By using these model systems I worked to elucidate key sequence and physiochemical characteristics that drive self-assembly and determine structure. I used a combination of X-ray fibre diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, circular and linear dichroism as well as computational methods in molecular modelling and diffraction simulation. By investigating a breadth of model systems I hope my work is relevant for both disease and bionanotechnology.
I successfully supervised three undergraduates and one postgraduate M.Sc. student through their dissertation research projects. Furthermore, in addition to my own research, I maintained collaborative relationships that have lead to a number of peer-reviewed publications.
Molecular Medicine B.Sc. (2:1), University of Sussex, UK
Oct 2004 – Jun 2008
Skills
Bash, Python, Java, Matlab, Visual Basic programming Cryo-Electron Microscopy
X-ray Fibre Diffraction
Circular and Linear Dichroism
Spectroscopy
Molecular Modelling
Molecular Biology
Project Management
Presentation and Science Communication
Selected conferences and public speaking
Apr '17 - Seminar speaker - UC Berkeley Electron Microscopy super group, UCB, USA Mar '17 - Contributed presentation - Bay Area Cryo-EM meeting, UCSC, USA Presentation title: Breaking reconstruction barriers using localized refinement and Volta phase plate data. Jul '16 - Seminar speaker - UC Berkeley Electron Microscopy super group, UCB, USA Mar '16 - Invited seminar speaker - UCSF Electron Microscopy sub group, UCSF, USA Presentation title: Clathrin cage architecture and stabilization. Sep '15 - Poster presentation - EMBO cryo-EM image processing workshop, Birkbeck, UK May '15 - Invited oral presentation - Endocytosis and Clathrin Club, Warwick, UK Apr '15 - Contributed presentation - CCPEM workshop, Oxfordshire, UK Mar '15 - Presentation - Cheng Lab, Macromolecular Structure Group, UCSF, USA Jul '14 - Invited oral presentation - British Biophysical Society Meeting, Warwick, UK
Presentation title: The Structure of Cross-ß Tapes and Tubes.
Sep '12 - Selected oral presentation - Polymeric and Self-Assembled Hydrogels, London, UK
Presentation title: Self-sorting gelator networks - A new method.
May '12 - Poster presentation - SCN-Directed Assembly Network Meeting, Bath, UK
Dec '11 - Selected oral presentation - SCN Annual Conference, Bristol, UK
Presentation title: How to design self-assembled hydrogelating fibres - A biophysical and structural characterisation.
Nov '11 - Invited oral presentation - CD & LD of Fibrillar Proteins, Royal Society London, UK
Presentation title: The peaks and troughs of fibrillar characterisation.
Aug '11 - Poster presentation - Harden Conference: Synthetic Biology, Keele, UK
Aug '10 - Selected oral presentation - ACA '10 Conference, Chicago USA
Presentation title: Insights into amyloid structure from short-assembling peptides.
Jun '10 - Contributed presentation - Directed Assembly Network Meeting, Oxfordshire, UK
Feb '10 - Invited seminar speaker - NTNU, Trondheim, Norway
Presentation title: Short peptide amyloid like systems - From understanding disease to making materials.
Sep '09 - Poster presentation - SCN Annual Conference, Oxford, UK
Aug '09 - Poster presentation - Benzon Symposium, Copenhagen, Denmark
Jul '07 - Internal seminar - GSK Biopharm CEDD, Beckenham, UK
Presentation title: Developing processes in real time qPCR.
Public engagement
Dec '11 - @Bristol Meet the Expert Public Engagement - @Bristol Centre, Bristol
Public engagement training affiliated with Bristol University. Over two days seminars, interactive workshops and role plays culminating in a day spent working at the @Bristol centre to refine public engagement skills.
Sep '11 - Interview: The Revival of Science Popularity - BBC Sussex and Surrey Radio
Invited interview to discuss the resurgence in the popularity of science subjects at schools in the wake of popular science personalities and large experiments such as CERN.
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