Skip to content

Rose Bunker

Farewell to Emma & Kallie

This September, we said goodbye to two fantastic researchers. Dr. Emma Wadforth also completed her PhD in Chemical Biology, sponsored by the European Research Council (ERC), and is now heading to an exciting new role at The Francis Crick Institute.   Dr. Kallie Friston joined us as a Post-Doctoral Research Associate after completing her PhD at Newcastle University, aligned with the MoSMed CDT. Now Kallie is starting a new role in Medicinal Chemistry at Newcastle University.  Both Emma and Kallie were valued members of our team, and we wish them every success in their future endeavours and look forward to following their journeys! 

Lauren’s Summer Studentship

By Lauren Archer: I’ve had the opportunity to carry out a summer studentship in the Kawamura Research Group, and I’ve found it to be an incredibly rewarding experience. I’m really grateful to have been welcomed into such a supportive and collaborative team, where I’ve been able to develop both technically and professionally.  My current work focuses on the PHD finger domain of KDMs, a project that sits at the interface of chemistry and biology. Coming from a chemistry background, this area has been a steep learning curve, and has introduced me to a range of new chemical biology techniques, including protein purification and bacterial transformation.   Working in a multidisciplinary lab… Read More »Lauren’s Summer Studentship

Emma’s Research Wins Award at EPSC 2025

We’re thrilled to share that our PhD student Emma Wadworth presented her research at the European Peptide Synthesis Conference (EPSC) 2025, held in August 25–27 in Porto, Portugal.   This prestigious event brings together leading scientists and innovators from across Europe to explore the latest advancements in peptide synthesis, including high-throughput strategies, protein production, and cGMP applications.  As well as showcasing her PhD research to conference delegates, Emma won an award for her poster on developing and optimising cyclic peptide inhibitors against human neuraminidases. Congratulations Emma!  

Celebrating Our 2025 Summer Graduates

At the end of July, we proudly celebrated the achievements of four students in the Chemical Biology department at Newcastle University.   Huge congratulations to Dr Filomena Saulino and Dr Siddique Amin on the successful completion of their PhDs – the first Kawamura group Newcastle PhD students ! – and to Faye Turnbull and Ellie Bentley on earning their Master’s degrees!  We’re excited to share that Siddique has since joined AstraZeneca, where he continues to apply his expertise as a Senior Scientist. Filomena remains with us as a Postdoctoral Research Associate, continuing her impactful work in the Kawamura Research Group.   We’re proud of you all and wish you every success in… Read More »Celebrating Our 2025 Summer Graduates

Summer BBQ Brings Chemical Biology Researchers Together

Despite a few raindrops, the annual summer BBQ for Newcastle University’s Chemical Biology researchers was a resounding success! Researchers, staff, and their families gathered for an afternoon of good food, laughter, and connection.  This yearly tradition continues offers a wonderful opportunity for colleagues to unwind and strengthen bonds outside the lab.  Here’s to many more rainy-but-cheerful BBQs ahead!      

Showcasing Research at PPSG 2025 Conference

In July, members of our team—Dr Robert Dawber, Tim Bell, and Keir Pebody—attended the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Protein and Peptide Science Group (PPSG) 2025 Early Stage Researcher Meeting in Birmingham.   The conference provided a platform for early career researchers to present their work, exchange ideas, and build connections within the scientific community. We’re proud to share that both Rob and Tim presented their research findings, contributing to the discussions that make PPSG a valuable experience for young researchers.  Tim’s talk presented his PhD work involving peptide arrays for informing chemokine PPIs and Probe Development. Meanwhile, Rob’s poster described his work to develop new methods to study how post-translational modifications… Read More »Showcasing Research at PPSG 2025 Conference

Emma Presents at the RSC CBBG Symposium

This June, Emma Wadforth had the exciting opportunity to present her PhD research at the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Chemical Biology and Bioorganic Group (CBBG) Postgraduate Symposium in Aberdeen, UK.  As she nears the completion of her PhD journey—funded by the European Research Council (ERC)—Emma’s oral presentation marked a proud moment of sharing her work with the wider scientific community. The CBBG symposium provided a great opportunity for connecting with fellow researchers in chemical biology, exchanging ideas, and celebrating the progress of early-career scientists. Emma’s PhD project synthesised and characterised a selection of novel cyclic peptides from mRNA display against NEU2. This work led to the discovery of some of… Read More »Emma Presents at the RSC CBBG Symposium

Research Group Earns LEAF Silver Award for Sustainability Excellence

We’re thrilled to announce that the Kawamura Research Group has been awarded the Silver LEAF Award—a recognition of our commitment to sustainable lab practices and environmental responsibility.  The LEAF (Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework) assessor praised our submission as:  “An excellent submission that showcases the great work and thoughtful approach the Lab has taken toward adopting sustainable practices. There is a clear culture of continual improvement, reflecting the team’s strong commitment to environmental responsibility.”  We extend special thanks to Thomas Beniston,  Tim Bell and Tom Smith for their dedication to the submission process, as well as Joanna Bonnici, Keir Pebody and Filomena Saulino for involvement in acquiring this achievement. 

Nature’s Chemists: Dr. Sarah Barry Visits Newcastle

On June 11th, Newcastle University’s Chemical Biology Special Interest Group was delighted to host Dr. Sarah Barry from King’s College London as part of the Inspiring Women in Chemical Biology seminar series, proudly sponsored by the Biochemical Society.  Dr. Barry, who leads an interdisciplinary research group focused on bacterial metabolism and natural product biosynthesis, delivered an engaging seminar titled “Learning from Nature’s Chemists.” Her talk explored how nature’s own chemical strategies can inspire innovative approaches in synthetic biology and drug discovery.  A highlight of the visit was a lunch with early career researchers, offering a valuable opportunity for informal discussion for PhD students, postdocs and fellows. Attendees included members from… Read More »Nature’s Chemists: Dr. Sarah Barry Visits Newcastle

Families Learn about Juicy Genes

Researchers from the Kawamura Research Group hosted an activity at this year’s Discover Festival – a one-day interactive event for families and members of the public on 7th June 2025 at Newcastle University.  The hands-on activity provided attendees with an opportunity to extract and see DNA using a simple experiment involving kiwis and strawberries, as well as better understand the role that DNA plays, and why epigenetics is important when fighting diseases like cancer.   “It was so great to see so many passionate young minds that were keen to try our practical experiment. Teaching them more about DNA and it’s role in epigenetics was very rewarding!” – Rob Dawber, Research… Read More »Families Learn about Juicy Genes