Group

Carla Kirschbaum

Contact information: carla.kirschbaum@chem.ox.ac.uk

Carla is interested in the role of protein-lipid interactions in the cell membrane in health and disease. In particular, she investigates how the altered lipid metabolism in diseased cells affects the structure and function of membrane proteins using native mass spectrometry in combination with laser-induced photodissociation.

Carla studied Chemistry at Freie Universität Berlin and Ecole Normale Supérieure de Paris. She completed her PhD in 2023 in collaboration with the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society under the supervision of Prof. Kevin Pagel. A full list of her publications can be found here: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3192-0785.

Xingyu Qiu (Philip)

Contact information: xingyu.qiu@exeter.ox.ac.uk

DPhil title: Investigating the GPCR activation process through mass spectrometry related methods

Philip is studying the GPCR activation mechanism through mass spectrometry related methods including HDX, native MS and ion mobility. Exploration of GPCR-ligand interaction during the receptor activation will promote the development of drug targeting on GPCRs.

Philip studied Chemistry at University of Oxford and joined the Robinson group for his DPhil studies in 2018.

Tarick J. El-Baba

Contact information: tarick.el-baba@chem.ox.ac.uk

Tarick’s research is focused on characterising membrane proteins involved with multidrug resistance using native mass spectrometry, proteomics, and molecular biology. His research aims to identify the mechanisms involved with drug recognition, efflux pump assembly, and substrate translocation. Tarick’s background is primarily in mass spectrometry instrument development.

Tarick obtained his BSc in Chemistry from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan and his PhD from Indiana University where he developed new ion mobility-mass spectrometry instruments to study protein folding in the group of Prof. David E. Clemmer. He joined the Robinson lab in 2019 as a Royal Society Newton International Fellow. A complete list of his publications can be found here.

Neha V Kalmankar

Contact information: neha.kalmankar@chem.ox.ac.uk

Neha's research focus is on understanding the physiology of G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and their modulation in response to extracellular signals using native mass spectrometry (nMS). She is interested in combining nMS with orthogonal techniques like top-down sequencing, proteomics, transcriptomics and structural bioinformatics, to capture the dynamics of GPCR signal transduction in the context of its native lipid environment, with a particular focus on receptors that use endogenous peptides as ligands.

Neha completed her Bachelor in Engineering (in Biotechnology) from Sir M. Visvesvaraya Institute of Technology and subsequently obtained her PhD from the National Centre for Biological Science, Bangalore, Indian. She joined the Robinson group in 2022. A complete list of her publications can be found at Neha V Kalmankar - Google Scholar.

Corinne Lutomski

Contact information: corinne.lutomski@chem.ox.ac.uk

Corinne’s background is in the development of new techniques in mass spectrometry to study large protein complexes. Her research aims to further develop detergent-free methods to study GPCRs in the context of their native environments and investigate the modulating effects of lipids on structure, dynamics, and ligand binding. A full list of Corinne’s publications can be found here. (https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=ajsWw90AAAAJ&hl=en)

Corinne received a BSc in Chemistry at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, USA. She then completed her PhD at Indiana University under the supervision of Prof. Martin Jarrold. Corinne joined the Robinson group as a Marie Curie Fellow in 2019. 

Susanne Mesoy

Contact information: susanne.mesoy@chem.ox.ac.uk

Susanne is working to understand how cellular signalling is driven by protein interactions with ligands, lipids, and other proteins. Her research is focused on the molecular detail of serotonergic signalling in the brain. 

Susanne graduated with a BSc and M Sci in Biochemistry from the University of Cambridge and subsequently a PhD, also from the University of Cambridge. The latter working with Professor Sarah Lummis to elucidate the functional mechanisms of ligand-gated ion channels. She joined the Robinson group in 2022.

Maya Miller

Contact information: maya.miller@chem.ox.ac.uk 

Maya's research is focused on ABC transporters and metalloproteins that are involved in health and disease. She is engaged in identifying new biological targets for drug discovery, using native mass spectrometry, genomics, and molecular biology techniques. A full list of Maya's publication can be found at Maya Miller - Google Scholar. 

Maya studied chemistry at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, and completed her PhD in Bioinorganic Chemistry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Jerusalem, Israel. She joined the Robinson group in 2022.

Abraham Olusegun Oluwole

Contact information: abraham.oluwole@chem.ox.ac.uk

Abraham uses lipid/polymer nanodiscs as a platform to capture membrane proteins together with their endogenous ligands for analysis by native mass spectrometry. This may assist our understanding of native structure and function of membrane proteins in a more native-like lipid-bilayer environment.

Abraham studied Chemistry at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso and at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. During his PhD, he investigated the use of lipid/polymer nanodiscs in biophysical characterisation of membrane proteins at the University of Kaiserslautern, Germany under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Sandro Keller. He joined the Robinson group in 2018.

Aziz Qureshi                      

Contact information: aziz.qureshi@chem.ox.ac.uk

The focus of Aziz's research is to understand how the dynamic lipid composition of biological membranes shape the structural and functional architecture of their resident transport proteins. Employing native-mass spectrometry in combination with other MS-based approaches, he aims to establish ligand and drug screening platforms for solute carriers in the context of their native lipid environment. 

Aziz completed his undergraduate studies in biochemistry from the University of Karachi, Pakistan. He completed an MSc at Uppsala University, Sweden followed by his PhD at Stockholm University. He joined the Robinson group in 2021. 

Haigang Song

Contact information: haigang.song@chem.ox.ac.uk

Haigang's research is focused on membrane proteins related to multidrug resistance (MDR) of invasive fungi. He aims to reveal the molecular mechanism underlaying the MDR by combining native mass spectrometry (nMS), proteomics, structural biology and other biophysical methods. Haigang has a strong background in structural enzymology and now turns his interest to nMS. His publication list can be found here. 

Haigang obtained his Bachelor's degree majoring in Chemistry from the University of Science and Technology of China and his PhD from Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Before joining Carol's group in 2022, he worked with Professor Jim Naismith.  

John Young

Contact information: john.young@chem.ox.ac.uk

John's research employs native mass spectrometry and other complementary structural biology methods to characterise mechanisms of multi-drug resistance in pathogenic bacteria. The goal of his research is to provide information to inform the design of new antibiotics to combat bacterial infection. A full list of John's publication can be found at (https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=fc8wksAAAAJ&hl=en)

John completed his PhD in Biochemistry at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. He joined the Robinson group in 2020. In 2022 John was awarded a postdoctoral fellowship from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

Jingjin Fan

Contact information: jingjin.fan@chem.ox.ac.uk

Jingjin’s research is focused on advancing soft-landing methods to explore the gas-phase structure and conformational variability of membrane proteins. Her research aims to deepen the understanding of protein structures in the gas phase, with important implications for shedding light on protein structure in unique environments.

During her PhD, Jingjin developed the microdroplet ESI soft-landing platform and investigated the structural integrity of soluble proteins and the process of amyloid fibrillation under supervision of Prof. Xiaoyu Zhou and Prof. Zheng Ouyang at Tsinghua University. Her publication list can be found here. 

Jingjin joined the Robinson group and Rauschenbach group in 2023 and became a Marie Curie Fellow in 2024.

Kiran Bountra

Contact information: kiran.bountra@chem.ox.ac.uk

Kiran’s research is focused on applying native mass spectrometry and biochemical methods to the study of membrane transport proteins involved in multidrug resistance. He previously worked as a Senior Scientist at OMass Therapeutics, specializing in drug discovery projects targeting solute carriers.

Kiran studied Biochemistry at the University of Sheffield. He also holds an MRes and PhD from Imperial College London. During his PhD, Kiran investigated the structure and mechanism of peptide ABC transporters. He joined the Robinson lab in 2024.

Ye Xin

Contact information: ye.xin@chem.ox.ac.uk

Ye's research is focused on studying therapeutic GPCR activation and antagonism using native MS, HDX-MS, and top-down MS, to gain insight into structural and functional mechanisms of GPCR, with the goal of uncovering details that could guide therapeutic strategies. Her publication can be found at ‪Ye Xin - ‪Google Scholar.

Ye completed her PhD at ShanghaiTech University under the supervision of Prof. Wenqing Shui, where she developed a hybrid screening platform based on affinity selection MS to accelerate GPCR ligand discovery. She joined the Robinson Group in 2024.