Lab members

Principal Investigator

Daniel Fazakerley

Daniel is from the UK and studied for his undergraduate degree in Biochemistry and PhD at the University of Bath. Daniel’s PhD, under the supervision of Professor Geoff Holman, focussed on the glucose transporter GLUT4 in cultured muscle cells and primary cardiomyocytes, and how both insulin and energy-status signalling (i.e. AMPK) regulate GLUT4 traffic. After his PhD, Daniel was awarded a Sir Henry Wellcome Fellowship to undertake his postdoctoral work in Professor David James’ group, initially at the Garvan Institute in Sydney, Australia, and then at the University of Sydney, Australia. While in Professor James’ lab, Daniel Fazakerley used cell culture and in vivo models in combination with proteomics to find new regulators of insulin action in adipocytes, and new drivers of insulin resistance. In particular, Daniel became very interested in the role that mitochondria, and oxidants produced in mitochondria, cause insulin resistance. In 2018, Daniel was awarded a UKRI/MRC Career Development Award, and in May 2019, established his own laboratory at the Institute of Metabolic Science, University of Cambridge, UK.

Outside of work, Daniel likes basically all sports and crime fiction (reading or watching). He regularly plays squash and five-a-side football. He wishes he could still play rugby. He is an Everton fan, which has helped him get used to disappointments, which are common in scientific research.

PhD Student

Olivia Conway

Liv did her undergraduate at the University of Manchester where she studied Biomedical Sciences, with a placement year in the Department of Neuroscience at Mayo Clinic, Florida, USA. She is a PhD student on the Wellcome Trust Metabolic and Cardiovascular Disease programme. Liv's PhD is focussed on spatial proteomics in adipocytes, and identifying novel subcellular translocation events in adipocytes in response to different hormonal cues. Outside the lab, you can find her rowing on the River Cam with the Caius Boat Club.

PhD Student

Joycelyn Tan

Originally from Malaysia, Joycelyn moved to the UK to pursue her undergraduate studies in Biomedical Sciences at UCL. With an interest in cellular metabolism, she spent her final year there working on the function of ROS in cells carrying mitochondrial mutations. She then moved to Cambridge for her PhD, exploring the effects of oxygen tension and medium composition on cellular metabolism and function. Outside the lab, you can find her exploring new food with friends, reading theology, or pretending to exercise.

PhD Student

Eleanor Fox

After her undergraduate studies at the University of Bristol, Ellie completed her masters degree in biochemistry at the Freie Universität Berlin. During this time, she also worked as a technical assistant, which sparked her interest in intracellular membrane trafficking and microscopy. For her PhD, Ellie is working on a collaborative project using cell biology assays, high content imaging and screening technologies to investigate GLUT4 and its mislocalization in type 2 diabetes. Outside the lab, you can find her next to Liv on the River Cam but she's running, not rowing.

Visiting PhD Student

Lu Liang

Lu joined the lab in October 2022 as a visiting PhD student from China. At Nanchang University, Lu has been pursuing a PhD in Food Science and Engineering, using UPLC/Q-TOF-MS to identify hypoglycemic constituents from Cyclocarya Paliurus (Batal.) Iljinshaja leaves (a traditional Chinese herb). Her interest in cell metabolism and mass spectrometry led her to Daniel's lab, where she currently studies how vitamins in culture influence BCAA and TCA cycle metabolism, using “fluxomics” (isotope tracing metabolomics) in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Outside the lab, Lu has been focussing on trying to be a better cook.

MPhil Student

Will Jones

Will completed his undergraduate studies in Molecular Biology and Genetics at the University of East Anglia. Following this, he gained industrial experience in the life sciences field and spent some time travelling throughout Southeast Asia and Australia. Currently, Will is pursuing an MPhil with a research focus on GLUT4 translocation, specifically exploring the potential role of phosphorylation sites in facilitating GLUT4 movement from the Golgi to glucose transport vesicles. Outside of his academic pursuits, Will enjoys football, golf, and tennis.

Alumni

Amber Shun-Shion, PhD - Postdoctoral Researcher 2022-2023 (Current position: Postdoctoral Fellow at AstraZeneca)

Mae Tabbada - Rotation PhD Student 2023

Jade Scardham - Summer Student 2023

Emily Naden - Summer Student 2022

Marco Dupuis Rodriguez - Summer Student 2022

Harry Baird - Research Assistant 2021-2022 (Current position: PhD student at ETH Zurich)

Dougall Norris, PhD - Postdoctoral Researcher 2019-2021 (Current position: Postdoctoral Researcher at UNSW)