Skip to content

Blog

International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2026

On the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we are proud to celebrate the remarkable women who shape and strengthen the Kawamura Research Group and the McAllister Lab at Newcastle University.  Across our laboratories, women researchers, students, and collaborators drive innovation through their curiosity, resilience, and creativity. Their work spans chemical biology, peptide science, glycobiology, and beyond – pushing scientific boundaries while inspiring the next generation of scientists. Their contributions are not only essential to our group but to the advancement of science globally.

NU Chem Bio Achieves Gold LEAF Award

We are thrilled to announce that the Newcastle University Chemical Biology department has earned the Gold LEAF (Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework) Award, the highest level of recognition for sustainable laboratory practice!  This milestone reflects our continued commitment to reducing the environmental impact of our research activities while fostering a culture of responsibility and innovation. This accomplishment builds on our previous success: in June 2025, the group proudly achieved Silver award.   Following the Gold Assessment, the auditor commented: “All members of the Chemical Biology Lab are highly engaged in embedding sustainability, with a strong commitment to continually reviewing and improving performance which is leading to reductions in waste and energy usage. An excellent submission!”  Reaching Gold required a collective effort – a special thanks to Joanna Bonnici, Filomena Saulino, Tom Smith, Tim Bell, Keir… Read More »NU Chem Bio Achieves Gold LEAF Award

Keir Awarded Prize at Protein & Peptide Conference

Written by Keir Pebody. I recently attended the first RSC Protein and Peptide Science Group (PPSG) Conference held in Nottingham on 15-16th December, to present my poster on the ‘Exploration of cell permeability features on a SARS-CoV-2 Mpro cyclic peptide inhibitor.’  The conference was greatly entertaining, with talks from speakers including Dek Woolfson (Bristol/Copenhagen) on AI-designed proteins, and Monika Raj (Emory) on designing chemical tools to explore protein druggability. We presented our posters in the new GSK Sustainable Chemistry building, with great posters from all over the UK – reflecting the impressive depth of the PPSG community. It was lovely to have the opportunity to speak to so many other scientists & early-career professionals about their research!  I… Read More »Keir Awarded Prize at Protein & Peptide Conference

Welcome to the group Eleanor!

A very warm welcome to Dr Eleanor Taylor-Newman to the Kawamura Research Group, where she joins as an EPSRC Postdoctoral Pathway Fellowship.  Eleanor graduated with an MChem degree from the University of Leicester , including a placement year at AstraZeneca and a research project with Dr Richard Doveston. She then worked as a peptide scientist at Almac Sciences before beginning her PhD in 2021 at Durham University through the MoSMed CDT programme, under the supervision of Prof. Steven Cobb and in collaboration with Dr Graham Taylor (University of Birmingham). Her doctoral research focused on the synthesis and evaluation of ligands and PROTACs targeting Epstein–Barr Nuclear Antigen 1.  In the Kawamura Group, Eleanor will be applying mRNA display to identify peptide binders against target RNA. Welcome to… Read More »Welcome to the group Eleanor!

Emma Wadforth Completes Her PhD Viva

We are delighted to celebrate a remarkable milestone in Emma Wadforth’s academic journey: she has successfully defended her PhD viva!  This achievement represents years of dedication, curiosity, and resilience. Emma’s PhD research, funded by ERC, focused on developing cyclic peptides against human neuraminidases.  We would also like to extend our thanks to Emma’s examiners, Prof Steven Cobb (Durham University) and Dr Céline Cano (Newcastle University), for their valuable time and engagement.   Wishing her every success in her new role at the Francis Crick Institute.   

Tim Bell Completes His PhD Viva

We’re delighted that Dr Tim Bell has successfully passed his PhD viva! An incredible milestone that reflects years of perseverance and hard work.    Tim worked on developing peptide-based tools to understand the chemokine network using high throughput peptide screening and biophysical methods, as part of his PhD funded by the BBSRC Doctoral Training Partnership. Tim’s highly interdisciplinary project benefited from several collaborations, including learning cell-based assays with Prof. Shoumo Bhattacharya (University of Oxford), crystallography with Prof Ehmke Pohl (Durham University) and bioinformatics with Dr Simon Cockell (Newcastle University).  A heartfelt thank you to Tim’s examiners, Prof Simi Ali (Newcastle University) and Dr Michael Plevin (University of York), for their time and expertise during the examination.  Congratulations, Tim, on this incredible achievement!

Tom Smith Completes His PhD Viva

We’re thrilled to share the fantastic news that Dr Tom Smith has successfully completed his PhD viva! This achievement marks the culmination of years of dedication, perseverance, and hard work in the field of Chemical Biology.  Tom’s PhD involved a collaboration with Novo Nordisk, a global healthcare company based in Denmark, which resulted in a published paper in RSC Chemical Biology.  A huge thank you to Tom’s examiners, Dr Tom McAllister (Newcastle University) and Dr Scott Lovell (University of Bath) for their time.   Congratulations Tom! 

Prof Clare Mahon Delivers Talk in the Inspiring Women in ChemBio Series

As part of the Inspiring Women in Chemical Biology seminar series, sponsored by the Biochemical Society, Newcastle University recently hosted Prof. Clare Mahon from Durham University, whose work is at the cutting edge of chemical biology and infectious disease diagnostics.  Clare’s talk, titled “Glycopolymer sensor arrays to detect pathoadaptations in Pseudomonas aeruginosa,” explored a critical issue in microbiology: the ability of bacterial pathogens to evolve and diversify within hosts, leading to persistent infections that are notoriously difficult to treat. The implications are profound. By mapping the progress of persistent infections and informing treatment strategies, Clare’s approach could underpin next-generation diagnostic tools for cystic fibrosis and beyond.  We are grateful to Clare for sharing her exciting research with the Chemical Biology teams & Chemistry at Newcastle University.        

Celebrating the Start of Faye’s PhD Journey

We’re thrilled that Faye Turnbull has officially begun her PhD journey as part of the Kawamura Research Group and the North-East England Doctoral Landscape (NEEDL) – a new Centre for Doctoral Training supported by UKRI’s Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).  Faye joins us after completing her Master’s in Chemistry at Newcastle University, bringing a strong foundation in chemical biology to her doctoral studies. We look forward to following Faye’s journey in protein hotspot mapping for protein–protein interaction studies – here’s to a new chapter in her research! 

Tom and Tim’s Next Chapter in Chemical Biology

We’re thrilled that Tom Smith and Tim Bell will be continuing their journey with us as Postdoctoral Research Associates working on cyclic peptide discover technology, following the end of the PhD Studies!  Over the last several years, Tom and Tim have been integral to our team – not only through their contributions to chemical biology research but also through the energy and enthusiasm they bring to our group culture. Their leadership in team-building activities, including last year’s Chemical Biology Christmas Symposium, has helped create a collaborative and vibrant environment that we’re proud of.  Here’s to more exciting research and many more moments of teamwork and celebration!