Research Project Grants 2017

Dr Christophe Aissa
University of Liverpool 
Cubene: synthesis beyond strain
£53,719

Dr Nick Aldred
Newcastle University
Going back to basics: reverse engineering the adhesive of the sea anemone Aiptasia pallida
£309,990

Professor Harry Anderson
University of Oxford
Synthesis of new allotropes of carbon: cyclocarbon catenanes
£269,701

Professor Richard Baines
University of Manchester 
Is cryptochrome a magnetoreceptor? 
£178,248

Professor Declan Bates
University of Warwick
Towards a comprehensive theory of feedback control for chemical reaction networks
£144,099

Dr Karl Bates
University of Liverpool
Bones in motion: a new integrated experimental-computational approach to understanding the evolution of human locomotion
£249,045

Dr Claudia Blindauer
University of Warwick
A quantitative framework linking extracellular zinc speciation and cell uptake
£342,867

Dr Will Branford
Imperial College London
Sculpting and training the artificial spin ice network
£216, 470

Dr Kate Britton
University of Aberdeen
Integrative approaches to Late Pleistocene herbivore ecology, ranging and diet 
£260,519

Dr Stephen Brusatte
University of Edinburgh 
Dissecting an evolutionary transition: how ancient crocs went from land to water
£234,982

Dr Michael Bryant
University of Leeds 
Bio-inspired functional poro-elastic materials
£280,028

Dr Julio Cesar Bueno de Andrade
University of Exeter
Moments of L-functions in function fields and random matrix theory
£282,167

Professor Nigel Burroughs
University of Warwick
Mechano-sensing of a molecular machine
£360,478

Dr Martin Cann
Durham University
How cyanobacteria detect carbon dioxide: molecular events in the global carbon cycle
£168,508

Dr Bin Cheng
University of Surrey
Mathematical analysis of ‘near resonance’ in the physical world of finiteness
£280,880

Dr Vijay Chudasama
University College London
Understanding how the microenvironment of a protein can dictate the course of bioconjugation
£154,274

Dr Lyubov Chumakova
University of Edinburgh 
Dynamic self-organization of stochastic intracellular transport
£234,122

Dr Edmund Cussen
University of Strathclyde 
Dynamic correlations in new frustrated magnetic materials and new magnetic states of matter
£258,473

Professor Gideon Davies
University of York
Discovery, dissection and exploitation of sulfoquinavose metabolism
£245, 571

Professor Ilan Davis
University of Oxford
Elucidating the functions of mRNA stability regulation in synaptic plasticity
£244,770

Dr Caroline Dessent
University of York 
Illuminating sunscreens: new approaches to a molecular understanding of photoprotection
£185,339

Professor Kishan Dholakia
Univerity of St Andrews
Making the most of interference: new metrology applications of laser speckle
£178,395

Professor Darren Dixon
Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford
A new light on chiral amine synthesis
£176,408

Professor John Doonan
Aberystwyth University
The cellular basis of ecosystem engineering by sphagnum peatmoss
£257,956

Dr Agapi Emmanouilidou
University College London
Exotic forms of matter in molecules driven by free-electron lasers
£180,939

Professor Boris Gaensicke
University of Warwick
Evolved planetary systems: a unique window into the composition of other worlds
£159,772

Dr Malte Christian Gather
University of St Andrews
Lighting up the brain: organic LEDs as light sources for optogenetics
£328,203

Dr Julien Gautrot
Queen Mary, University of London  
2D composites with controlled nano-mechanics for the culture of stem cells on liquid carriers
£245,677

Dr Katsuichiro Goda
University of Bristol 
Global earthquake resilience for natural-engineering-social interacting systems
£191,403

Dr Richard Grainger
University of Birmingham 
Controlled release of reactive di- and triatomic molecules
£235,447

Dr Duncan Greig
University College London
Identification and analysis of speciation genes in yeast
£251,767

Dr Randa Herzallah
Aston University
Control of behavioural dynamics
£180,078

Dr Constanze Hesse
University of Aberdeen 
Handle with care: material properties in vision and action control
£200,344

Dr Robert Hindges
King’s College London 
Defining the molecular diversity of specific synaptic interactions
£207,172

Professor Mark Hodson
University of York
Seeing earthworms in the dark
£107,574

Professor Michael Holdsworth
University of Nottingham
Why did a unique oxygen-sensing mechanism evolve in land plants?
£161,911

Professor Peter W H Holland
University of Oxford
Extreme molecular evolution in an extreme environment: homeobox genes gone awry
£179,630

Professor Stefan Howorka
University College London
New chemical tools to probe lipid bilayer thickness in live cells
£149,186

Dr Abusaleh Jabir
Oxford Brookes University
Monitor: a self-reparable memristive gas sensor array
£234,992

Dr Robert Jack
University of Bath
A self-consistent coarse-graining method for soft-matter systems
£272,762

Professor Jaroslaw Kedra
University of Aberdeen
The geometry of conjugation invariant norms on groups
£233,793

Professor Keith Jones
University of Southampton
Understanding meiotic drive: how Mendel’s law is cheated in oocytes
£171,337

Professor Jane Kaye
University of Oxford
Biomodifying technologies: governing converging research in the life sciences
£340,240

Dr Charlotte Kestner
University of Central Lancashire 
Measurability and generalised measurablity through fields and Fraisse amalgams
£144,570

Professor Syma Khalid
University of Southampton
Combining quantum and classical methods to study bacterial membrane enzymes 
£126,931

Dr Istvan Kiss
University of Sussex
Bayesian inference and approximations of high-dimensional network models
£301,665

Professor Stefan Krause
University of Birmingham
Plastic rivers: fate and transport of microplastics in rivers
£284,974

Professor Mark Leake
University of York
Probing the shape of DNA by twisting, pulling and ‘seeing’ single molecules
£245,669

Dr Steven Lind
University of Manchester
Predicting leaping liquids: increasing our understanding of the Kaye effect
£95,440

Dr Jan Lindstrom
University of Glasgow
Evolutionary ecology and dynamics of pharyngeal microbial communities in humans
£131,509

Dr Crispin Little
University of Leeds
Macroevolution in Boreal Ocean Jurassic-Cretaceous methane seep communities
£191,157

Dr Louis Y P Luk
Cardiff University 
Designing multifunctional organocatalytic artificial enzymes
£179,600

Dr Emma McCabe
University of Kent
Ferroelectricity: new mechanisms and materials by combined experiment and theory
£96,975

Professor Peter McClintock
University of Lancaster 
Conduction and selectivity between monovalent ions within the potassium channel
£275,830

Dr Alistair McCormick
University of Edinburgh
Surpassing evolution to enhance photosynthesis using algal CO₂ superchargers
£349,148

Dr James McCutcheon
University of Leicester
Neural and peripheral generation of a specific appetite for protein
£194,257

Dr William McGeown
University of Strathclyde
An investigation of the neural bases of hypnosis and suggestibility
£144,243

Dr Abbie C Mclaughlin
University of Aberdeen
Investigation of novel hexagonal perovskite oxide ion conductors
£149,398

Professor Fiona Meldrum 
University of Leeds 
An imaging approach to understanding confinement effects on crystallisation 
£259,876

Dr Katherine Messenger
University of Warwick
Syntactic priming as implicit learning: comparing second and first language speakers
£241,910

Professor Thomas Mock
University of East Anglia
Molecular underpinnings of adaptive evolution in diatoms of polar oceans
£236,623

Dr Lisa Mol
University of the West of England
Ballistic damage of stone heritage structures in conflict areas
£199,745

Professor Pat Monaghan
University of Glasgow
Mechanisms underlying the growth-lifespan trade-off
£258,973

Dr Antonio Moro
Northumbria University 
Dressing methods and complexity reduction for integrable networks models
£248,176

Dr Daniel Mulvihill
University of Glasgow
Fundamental mechanical behaviour of nano and micro structured interfaces 
£281479

Professor David Murphy
University of Bristol
How does the one-humped Arabian camel survive in the desert without drinking?
£318,415

Dr Marko Nardini
Durham University
Learning to perceive and act under uncertainty
£258,151

Professor Geoffrey Nash
University of Exeter 
Biomemetic swimming using surface acoustic waves
£227,368

Dr Dianne Newbury
Oxford Brookes University
Speaking backwards – sdrawkcab gnikaepS
£232,412

Dr Ioannis Nezis
University of Warwick
What is the function of a cytoplasm-eating related protein in the nucleus?
£206,436

Professor Christoph Ortner
University of Warwick 
The nature of interatomic forces in metallic systems
£385,475

Dr Catherine O’Sullivan
Imperial College London
Fundamental analysis of the influence of structure on clay behaviour
£84,542

Dr Alessandro Pandini 
Brunel University 
An integrated computational-experimental method to redesign protein dynamics 
£230,247

Dr Catherine Parr
University of Liverpool 
Community assembly in old-growth tropical forest
£237,850

Professor Robert Pawlak
University of Exeter
Optogenetic reprogramming of the anxiety circuit
£273,355

Dr Richard Payne
University of York
Peatlands and climate change: linking the past with the future
£133,239

Professor Tony Payne
University of Bristol
Glacial melt and water security in Central Asia 
£169,648

Professor Chris Perry
University of Exeter
Predicting the significance of fish carbonates to the marine carbonate cycle
£156,413

Professor Kim Plunkett
University of Oxford
Language mediated attention in infancy
£42,099

Dr Barry Porter 
Lancaster University 
The emergent self-aware data dentre: autonomous software landscaping at scale 
£252,890

Professor Alban Potherat
Coventry University
The non-linear states of convection in the Earth core
£297,852

Professor Stephen D Price
University College London
Studies of radical-surface chemistry of relevance to the interstellar medium
£177,961

Professor Christopher Reynolds
University of Essex 
Using novel computational modelling approaches to address biased agonism at the adenosine A1 receptor
£274,306

Dr David Rippin
University of York
Archival polar photography – unearthing the forgotten record of glacier change
£316,607

Dr Carol Robinson
University of East Anglia
Marine bacterioplankton respiration: a critical unknown in global carbon budgets
£223,320

Dr Tamara Rogers
Newcastle University
Modeling inhomogeneous magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) in hot Jupiter atmospheres
£220,233

Dr Misha Rudnev
University of Bristol
Geometry, combinatorics and algebra of sum-products
£176,247

Professor Alfred William Rutherford 
Imperial College London 
Reconstructing the origin and evolution of oxygenic photosynthesis 
£289,600

Professor Michael Ruzhansky
Imperial College London 
Analysis on frame decompositions
£250,438

Dr Christopher Serpell
University of Kent 
Hierarchical and emergent assembly through the marriage of DNA and peptides
£147,102

Dr Tom Sheppard
University College London 
An iterative approach to the synthesis of polyols 
£117,764

Professor Peter Slater
University of Birmingham
Exploring carbonate incorporation in “oxide” materials: the hidden dopant 
£84,760

Professor Alison Smith
University of Cambridge
Snow algae – are they the most abundant photosynthetic organisms in terrestrial Antarctica?
£303,714

Dr Paul Smith
University of Nottingham 
Mobilization of lipophillic compounds from white fat: a role for voltage-gated Ca2+ influx?
£164,089

Dr Michail Stamatakis
University College London
From molecules to chemical reactors by boosting kinetic Monte-Carlo
£274,554

Professor Alexander Strohmaier
University of Leeds
Mathematical analysis of Casimir interactions
£174,962

Dr Patrick Sturt 
University of Edinburgh 
Integration of information in reading 
£125,468 

Dr Junwang Tang
University College London 
Feasibility of continuous solar driven renewable fuel synthesis by a flow cell assembly
£292,257

Dr Colin Tosh
Newcastle University
Predator-prey and prey-prey interactions driven by predator visual attention
£226,555

Professor Mark Van Rossum
University of Edinburgh
Energy limited neural plasticity: learning with minimal changes
£179,632

Dr Chris Venditti
University of Reading
The dynamics of extinction through time 
£184,456

Dr Ross Waller 
University of Cambridge 
Reinventing the nucleus: dinoflagellates provide a model for histone-independent mechanisms of nuclear genome maintenance and function 
£237,188

Dr Craig Walling
University of Edinburgh
Testing the evolutionary basis of the longevity response to dietary restriction
£287,841

Professor David Whitmore
University College London
Can individual cells in culture tell the time of year?
£183,372

Professor Sivaramesh Wigneshweraraj
Imperial College London
Molecular analysis of a bacterial metabolic break
£199,425

Dr Gerald Williams
University of Essex
Searching for gems in the landscape of cyclically presented groups
£177,486

Professor Matthew Wing
University College London 
Search for dark photons and investigation of QCD using novel accelerator scheme
£318,272

Professor Dominic Wright
University of Cambridge 
Main group pyridyl chiral reporter (py-CR) reagents
£164,397

Dr Alison Yao
University of Strathclyde
Control and applications of structured light and chiral molecules
£286,825

Dr Anthony Yeates 
Durham University 
A variational approach to self-organisation in conducting fluids 
£156,445

Professor Semir Zeki
University College London
Social influences on aesthetic judgments and their neural basis
£279,869

Dr Xiaolei Zhang 
Queen’s University Belfast 
Atomic-level investigation on developing optimal pathways for liquid biofuels 
£198,363

Dr Gan Zheng
Loughborough University 
Massive signal and data cooperation for densified wireless networks
£199,163

Professor Nickie Charles
University of Warwick 
Shaping inter-species connectedness: training cultures and the emergence of new forms of human-animal relations
£216,127

Professor Gordon Cumming
Cardiff University
Mobilising support for militaro-humanitarian intervention: beyond two-level games 
£90,842

Professor Kavita Datta
Queen Mary, University of London
‘Disciplining’ the remittance marketplace? The financialisation of small and medium size money transfer operators (MTOs) after the financial crisis in London
£91,715

Professor Abby Ghobadian
University of Reading 
Towards developing an empirically driven descriptive theory focusing on the formative phase of breakthrough technologies
£122,648

Professor Nick Hanley
University of St Andrews 
Biodiversity offset markets for wetland conservation
£108,282

Dr Eleanore Hargreaves
University College London
A longitudinal study of primary children’s journey at the ‘bottom’ of the class
£258,077

Professor Janet Hunter
London School of Economics and Political Science 
Money markets and trade in early industrialisation: Britain and Japan, 1760–1860
£188,488

Dr Keith Hyams
University of Warwick
Anthropogenic global catastrophic risk: the challenge of governance
£189,985

Dr Sabine Hyland
University of St Andrews
Hidden texts of the Andes: deciphering the khipus (cord writing) of Peru
£251,902

Professor Vasso Ioannidou
University of Lancaster
On the public disclosure of individual bank supervisory assessments 
£105,555

Dr Margaretta Jolly
University of Sussex 
The business of women’s words: purpose and profit in feminist publishing
£411,351

Dr Chris Jones
Aston University
Tax havens and emerging market multinational enterprises 
£121,590

Professor Ben Lupton
Manchester Metropolitan University
Understanding blame in work organizations – a philosophical interpretation
£55,597

Professor Duncan Mcvicar
Queen’s University Belfast
Zero hours contracts: characteristics, prevalence and impacts on workers
£125,276

Professor John Mohan
University of Birmingham
Community-level perspectives on post-war change in the British voluntary sector 
£329,252

Professor Anna Morcom
Royal Holloway, University of London
Music, money and power: an economic anthropology of music
£299,904

Dr Heather Rolfe 
National Institute of Economic and Social Research 
Evidence and perceptions in the post-Brexit immigration debate 
£120,906 

Professor Fiona Ross
University of Reading
Women in type: a social history of women’s role in type-drawing offices, 1910–1990
£196,845

Dr Steven Stanley
Cardiff University 
Beyond personal wellbeing: mapping the social production of mindfulness in England and Wales
£214,376

Professor Joachim Stoeber 
University of Kent 
Development of childhood perfectionism: early indicators and parental factors 
£298,259 

Professor Jonathan Tonge
University of Liverpool
An evaluation of historical and contemporary debates on lowering the voting age 
£119,740

Professor Richard Toye 
University of Exeter 
The age of promises: manifestos, election addresses and political representation 
£151,179

Professor Jonathan C K Wells
University College London 
Age at marriage and human capital outcomes in mothers and offspring in Nepal
£324,480