The Team
Who We Are
Ferenc Mueller
I did my PhD at the Inst. of Molecular Genetics, ABC Gödöllö Hungary in 1996. Following post docs at the University of Southampton and the IGBMC Strasbourg (EMBO Fellow) I developed my independent research at the Institute of Toxicology and Genetics, Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology) in 2001. In 2007 I joined the University of Birmingham as Senior lecturer, where I am Professor of Developmental Genetics since 2014. My research interests encompass transcription regulation in vertebrate development and deciphering the DNA codes of gene expression regulation. I use zebrafish as a main model system. Besides leading a research group, I teach in medical genomics and applied genetics courses. I work as Deputy Director of Research for the College of Medical and Dental Sciences and as current Director of the Birmingham Centre for Genome Biology.
Post Doctorates
Yavor Hadzhiev
I am a postdoc in the lab since 2008. I studied Molecular Biology and Biochemistry at the University of Sofia Bulgaria, obtaining MSci degree. I completed my PhD at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in the group of Ferenc Muller, studding mechanisms of cis-regulatory elements subfunctionalisation in vertebrates, using sonic genes as model. My main research interests are mechanisms of zygotic gene activation (the role of the core promoter in particular), comparative genomics and evolution of cis-regulatory elements.
Paige Louise White
I am a Post doc in the lab, having joined in late 2019 and completing my PhD in 2024. My research and main interests lie in investigating the intra heterogeneity of tumours and the transcriptional differences we see on a sub populational level using organoids as the primary model. I have also used zebrafish to model and investigate hypoxia and its response pathway. Prior to my PhD I completed my Biochemistry and Genetics undergraduate degree at Swansea university and my Masters at Kings College London where I was researching the evolution of Parkinson genes. My comparative analysis included the newly sequenced Neanderthal and Denisovan genomes and I was fortunate enough to present my work at an EMBL conference in Heidelberg.
PhD Students
Qianhong Guan
My name is Qianhong Guan, I’m PhD student in Mueller’s lab. My study focuses on functional genomic annotation and single-cell transcriptomic data analysis. I studied in Bioinformatics for my Master and I’m interested in genomic data analysis and integrative omics approaches.
Parth Bhatia
I am a 1st year PhD student in DANIO-ReCODE Marie-Curie Doctoral Network with experience in single-cell bioinformatics and a background in genetics and neuroscience. I am interested in studying gene regulation and currently, I am studying how promoter architecture shifts in zebrafish embryo brains after injury. Off work, I enjoy cooking and playing badminton.
Affiliated
Joseph Wragg
I am an early career researcher (Birmingham Springboard Fellow) in the field of paediatric cancers and cancer epigenetics, with a particular interest in pre-clinical tumour modelling and vascular biology. My research is focussed on interrogating tumour interactions with its microenvironment and the impact of therapeutics on this. I also have a great interest in tumour plasticity and stromal mimicry and have developed in vivo, in vitro and in silico tools to evaluate this in paediatric cancers.
Dario Gonzalez Menendez
My background includes a degree in Biology and an MSc in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology. Following my MSc, I started a PhD under the supervision of Dr Csilla Várnai and Prof Ferenc Müller within the Marie Curie Doctoral Network "DANIO-ReCODE". This European research network aims to study vertebrate tissue regeneration. My project will specifically focus on analysing the 3D genome organisation in the context of zebrafish telencephalon injury. Apart from my PhD project, I’m an active member of the bioinformatics student group RSG-Spain and a BEAR Champion for the Department of Cancer and Genomic Sciences.