Header Illustration showing Sz. pombe ascus with 4 spores/Genetic recombination assay/Rec10-Linear elements in a meiotic nucleus

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Alexander Lorenz

Portrait picture of Alexander Lorenz

Senior Lecturer in Fungal Genetics

Group Leader

Email: a.lorenz (at) abdn.ac.uk

Office (Room 4:20), Phone: +44 (0) 1224 437323

Lab (Room 4:08), Phone: +44 (0) 1224 437499

Alexander graduated in 2000 with a Mag. rer. nat. in Botany (with distinction), and in 2003 obtained a Dr. rer. nat. in Genetics (with distinction) from the University of Vienna, Austria. After working as a postdoctoral research associate with Professor Josef Loidl (now retired) for two years studying the meiotic chromosome axis organization in fission yeast, he was awarded an Erwin Schrödinger-Fellowship from the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) to join Professor Matthew Whitby's lab at the Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford. There he investigated the role of different DNA helicases in homologous recombination.

In May 2013 he joined the School of Medicine, Medical Sciences & Nutrition of the University of Aberdeen as Lecturer in Molecular Cell Biology. In August 2021 he was promoted to Senior Lecturer in Fungal Genetics.

He serves as Honorary Treasurer to the Genetics Society, is Associate Editor at Critical Reviews in Microbiology and Microbiological Research, and Editorial Board Member at FEMS Yeast Research.

School of Medicine, Medical Sciences & Nutrition Staff Profile



Stefaniya T. Stoichkova

Portrait picture of Stefaniya T. Stoichkova

PhD (Medical Sciences) Student

Honours Project Student (01/2017-03/2017)

Email: s.stoichkova (at) abdn.ac.uk

Office (Room 4:26), Phone: +44 (0) 1224 437509

Lab (Room 4:08), Phone: +44 (0) 1224 437499

Stefi originally joined our lab to do a research project on meiotic recombination in Sz. pombe for her University of Aberdeen biotechnology degree. Subsequently, she got awarded an IMS PhD-studentship to study sexual reproduction in Candida spp.. She re-joined the lab in October 2017 and is co-supervised by Dr Donna MacCallum.



Chloe Pelletier

Portrait picture of Chloe Pelletier

PhD (Medical Mycology) Student

Email: c.pelletier.19 (at) abdn.ac.uk

Office (Room 4:26), Phone: +44 (0) 1224 437509

Lab (Room 4:08), Phone: +44 (0) 1224 437499

Chloe joined our lab in September 2019. she is funded by the MRC-CMM at the University of Exeter, and she is interested in the cellular response of Candida auris to various stresses.



Sakinah Alsayegh

Portrait picture of Sakinah Alsayegh

PhD (Medical Microbiology) Student

MSc (Microbiology) Student (04/2019-07/2019)

Email: s.alsayegh.19 (at) abdn.ac.uk

Office (Room 4:26), Phone: +44 (0) 1224 437509

Lab (Room 4:08), Phone: +44 (0) 1224 437499

Sakinah joined our lab to do her MSc research project on morphogenetic switching in C. auris in April 2019. Lateron, she was awarded a PhD-studentship from the Kuwait Cultural Office to continue this work. She is co-supervised by Dr Donna MacCallum.



Nadia Boulahia

Portrait picture of Nadia Boulahia

MSci (Genetics|Immunology) Student (01/2023-03/2023)

Email: n.boulahia.18 (at) abdn.ac.uk

Office (Room 4:26), Phone: +44 (0) 1224 437509

Lab (Room 4:08), Phone: +44 (0) 1224 437499

As part of her Honours degree, Nadia joined our lab to look at meiotic recombination frequency in Schizosaccharomyces pombe mismatch-repair mutants.



Mariusz Klemens

Portrait picture of Mariusz Klemens

BSc (Genetics) Student (01/2023-03/2023)

Email: m.klemens.19 (at) abdn.ac.uk

Office (Room 4:26), Phone: +44 (0) 1224 437509

Lab (Room 4:08), Phone: +44 (0) 1224 437499

As part of his Honours degree, Mariusz joined our lab to study meiotic recombination frequency in Schizosaccharomyces pombe.



Wyatt M. Moulton

Portrait picture of Wyatt M. Moulton

BSc (Genetics) Student (01/2023-03/2023)

Email: w.moulton.18 (at) abdn.ac.uk

Office (Room 4:26), Phone: +44 (0) 1224 437509

Lab (Room 4:08), Phone: +44 (0) 1224 437499

As part of his Honours degree, Wyatt joined our lab to study meiotic recombination frequency in Schizosaccharomyces pombe.



RECENT ALUMNI

Portrait picture of Rhea Eliz Kurian

Rhea Eliz Kurian

MSc (Microbiology) Student (04/2022-07/2022)

As part of her MSc degree, Rhea joined the lab to look at meiotic recombination frequency in Schizosaccharomyces pombe.

Portrait picture of Kristine L. Wright

Kristine L. Wright

MSc (Microbiology) Student (04/2022-07/2022)

As part of her MSc degree, Krissie joined the lab to validate a molecular biology tool for Candida auris.

Portrait picture of Yesenia M. Alfaro Fuentes

Yesenia M. Alfaro Fuentes

MSc (Microbiology) Student (04/2022-07/2022)

Yesenia joined the bioinformatics team of Dr Elaina Collie-Duguid to do a research project for her University of Aberdeen MSc degree in collaboration with our lab.

Portrait picture of Alexandra Cookson

Alexandra Cookson

BSc (Biochemistry) Student (01/2022-03/2022)

Alexandra joined our lab to do a research project for her University of Aberdeen Honours degree.

Portrait picture of Lasse M. Rasmussen

Lasse M. Rasmussen

Internship Student (10/2021-12/2021), BSc (Microbiology) Student (01/2022-03/2022)

Lasse joined our lab for a short internship, and later-on to do a research project for his University of Aberdeen Honours degree. Lasse runs his own carbon-negative fruit winery 'Two Raccoons'.

Portrait picture of Samantha J. Mpaulo

Samantha J. Mpaulo

PhD (Medical Sciences) Student (10/2017-01/2022)

Samantha obtained BSc and MSc degrees from the University of Sheffield, UK. For her PhD project she studied the initiation of meiotic recombination in Sz. pombe. Samantha was co-supervised by Professor Adele Marston, University of Edinburgh, UK. She is now working as a health care science practitioner for NHS Grampian.

Portrait picture of Sadia Fami

Sadia Fami

MSc (Microbiology) Student (04/2021-07/2021)

As part of her MSc degree, Sadia did a laboratory project on C. auris stress response.

Portrait picture of Zoe Ross

Zoe K. Ross

MRes (Medical Mycology) student (01/2017-04/2017), PhD (Medical Mycology) Student (10/2017-02/2021)

Zoe is a University of Aberdeen graduate and did her MRes/PhD degree in Medical Mycology on genetic diversity in Candida auris funded by the MRC-CMM at the University of Exeter. She is now working as a trainee clinical scientist for NHS Tayside.

Portrait picture of Gustavo Bravo Ruiz

Gustavo A. Bravo Ruiz

Postdoctoral Research Associate (PDRA) (06/2017-09/2020)

Gustavo obtained BSc, MSc and PhD degrees from the University of Córdoba (Spain). After postdoctoral work at the Universities of Córdoba and Kent (UK), he joined the lab in June 2017 to look at karyotypic diversity and genotoxic stress response in Candida auris. He now works as a PDRA at the University of Dundee (UK).

Portrait picture of Sandra Appiah Kubi

Sandra Appiah Kubi

MSc (Molecular Medicine) Student (04/2020-07/2020)

As part of her MSc degree, Sandra did a literature review on C. auris epidemics in Africa.

Portrait picture of Amelia Sanders

Amelia Sanders

MSc (Molecular Medicine) Student (04/2020-07/2020)

As part of her MSc degree, Amelia did a literature review on domesticated fungi and their uses.

Portrait picture of Saba Wahid

Saba Wahid

MSc (Reproductive & Developmental Biology) Student (04/2020-07/2020)

As part of her MSc degree, Saba did a literature review on experimental models to study C. auris pathogenicity.

Portrait picture of Inês Dias Rebelo

Inês Dias Rebelo

MRes (Molecular Biology) Student (09/2018-03/2020)

Inês has a BSc degree in Biology from the University of Aberdeen, she joined the lab in September 2018 to do a project on the regulation of meiotic double-stranded DNA break formation using Sz. pombe as a model organism. She returned to Portugal and works as a freelance vocalist.

Portrait picture of Mihail Mihov

Mihail Mihov

MSci (Genetics) Student (01/2020-03/2020)

Mihail joined our lab to do a research project for his University of Aberdeen Honours degree. He studies for his PhD in Dr Grassmann's group at the University of Aberdeen, UK.

Portrait picture of Susanna Pennala

Susanna Pennala

BSc (Genetics) Student (01/2020-03/2020)

Susanna joined our lab to do a research project for her University of Aberdeen Honours degree.

Portrait picture of Kieran Petrie

Kieran Petrie

BSc (Immunology & Pharmacology) Student (01/2020-03/2020)

Kieran joined our lab to do a research project for his University of Aberdeen Honours degree.

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Last updated 26/01/2023 - AL