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Alan Goddard

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Professor Alan Goddard

Dr

 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4950-7470

Personal profile

Contact Details

Email: [email protected]

Phone: +44 121 204 3178

Biography

I joined the School of Life & Health Sciences in October 2016 as a Lecturer in Biochemistry, having spent the previous four years as a Senior Lecturer in Biochemistry at the University of Lincoln.  Prior to that I spent almost seven years as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oxford.  I completed both my BSc and PhD at the University of Warwick.

I am the Training and Industry Lead for the Aston Institute for Membrane Excellence (AIME).

 

Research Interests

My research interests focus around membrane proteins and the lipid membranes in which they reside.  I have experience of working with a range of membrane protein systems including receptors such as GPCRs, transporters and biogenesis systems.  I use model lipid membranes to study proteins in their native environments and also to probe the effects of various compounds on the integrity of the membrane itself.  For example, I have investigated the lipid-specific effects of antimicrobials and solvent on biological membranes. We leverage our knowledge to create bioinspired membranes.

I am keen to collaborate on industrially-focussed projects as well as academic ones.  Please get in touch if you would like to know more.

Current Lab Members:

  • Debbie Toomeoks - Programme Manager (BIOMEM)
  • Dr Carolina Almeida - UKRI funded PDRA.
  • Dr Dominik Brotherton - UKRI funded PDRA.
  • Dr Luke Broadbent - EU Funded PDRA on BIOMEM.
  • Dr Snook Chaimueangchuen - EU Funded PDRA on BIOMEM.
  • Divya Panchal - PhD student with Aquaporin A/S.
  • Nawal Hassan - PhD student with Aquaporin A/S.
  • Olamide Babatunde - BBSRC MIBTP PhD student.
  • Rachel Holland - PhD student with Mondelez International.
  • Alexander Henricksen - PhD student with MPB and MEMetic.
  • Dr John Linney - PDRA with MEMetic.
  • Dr Hayley Blaber - PDRA with MEMetic.

Lab Alumni:

  • Dr Rachel Butler - UKRI funded PDRA.
  • Miguel Ferreira - BBSRC MIBTP PhD student.
  • Daniel Wiseman - PhD/GTA.  Now a Lecturer at Aston
  • John Linney - PhD. 
  • Monse Roman Lara - PhD. Now at BBSRC
  • Peer Depping - H2020 MSCA COFUND MemTrain student with Iontas. Now at Iontas.
  • Annaïg Rozo - H2020 MSCA COFUND MemTrain student with uFraction8. Now at Sygnature Discovery.
  • Tom Potter - Placement Student. Now at Aston.
  • Dr Sarah Routledge – MeMBrane. Now in industry.
  • Dr Joyce Bennett - Project Manager (MeMBrane).  Now at HBVNet
  • Dr Megan Cox - KTP associate with Meritics. Now at Meritics.
  • Naomi Wilkinson - Placement student. Now at Aston University.
  • Dr David Hardy - ICURe-funded researcher. Now at Peak Proteins.
  • Ravneet Kaur - Aston GCRF Postdoctoral Researcher. Now at University of Birmingham.
  • Sophia Ijaz - Placement student. Now at Aston University
  • Georgia Stevens - Placement student.  Now at Aston University
  • Dr Peter Sanderson - Postdoctoral Researcher.  Solventogenic stress in bacteria.  Now at University of Lincoln.
  • Samantha Penrice - Postdoctoral Researcher.  Geometric morphometric analysis of GPCR structures.
  • Joanna Bird - MSc student.  Peptide-guided drug delivery.  Now at University of Kent

I am currently accepting PhD students in the fields of biological membranes, biotechnology and strain engineering.

Qualifications

BSc (Hons) Biological Sciences with Molecular Genetics, University of Warwick, 2002.

PhD Biological Sciences, University of Warwick, 2006.

PGCE HE, University of Lincoln, 2016.

Employment

2016 – date: Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Reader and Professor in Biotechnology, School of Life and Health Sciences, Aston University.
2012 – 2016: Senior Lecturer in Biochemistry, School of Life Sciences, University of Lincoln.
2009 – 2012: PDRA, University of Oxford with Prof. Anthony Watts and Dr Mark Wallace.
2006 – 2009: PDRA, University of Oxford with Prof. Stuart Ferguson, Prof. David Richardson (UEA) and Dr James Moir (York).

Membership of Professional Bodies

  • Member of Biochemical Society.
  • Member of Microbiology Society.
  • Member of British Biophysical Society.
  • Principal Fellow of Higher Education Academy.

Professional/editorial offices

I am a member of the editorial board for The Biochemist and and Editor for Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics.

Teaching Activity

I teach across the breadth of life sciences at undergraduate and postgraduate but my main focus in within the area of biochemistry.  I also supervise final year project students and provide academic and pastoral care to tutees.  I am very involved in public engagement and outreach – please get in touch if you would like to know more.

I am module leader for BC5PDV - Professional Development.

Research Projects/Collaborations

July 2027

Eveson Trust (£273,000)

SEC-MALS and calorimeter equipment grant. PI: Prof. Roslyn Bill; Co-I with Prof. Paul Topham and Dr Matthew Derry.

July 2026-

June 2027

BBSRC ALERT (~£1,000,000)

A Democratised Hydrogen-Deuterium Exchange Mass Spectrometry Platform for Advanced Solution-Phase Structural Biology PI: Dr Eamonn Reading (University of Southampton); Co-I.

April 2026-

April 2030

MSCA Staff Exchanges (€1,197,390)

Living magnetobots for targeted theranostics to tackle metastatic solid tumours (MagBIO). PI: Dr Alfred Fernandez-Castane; Co-I with 17 other partners.

January 2026-April 2027

UKRI Engineering Biology Mission Award Expand and Extend (£865,151); Aston share £539,688)

Optimal cell factories for membrane protein production. PI: Dr Alexander Darlington (University of Warwick). Co-PI with Prof. Phillip Stansfeld (University of Warwick) and Dr Douglas Browning and Prof. Roslyn Bill (Aston University).

January 2026-April 2027

UKRI Engineering Biology Mission Award Expand and Extend (£1,197,651; Aston share £210,167)

Engineering of Extracellular Vesicles for Oral Delivery of Nucleic Acid Therapies. PI: Dr Driton Vllasaliu (King’s College London). Co-PI with Dr Maya Thanou (King’s College London), Prof. Snjezana Stolnik-Trenkic and Prof. Cameron Alexander (University of Nottingham).

September 2025

iCURe Discover (£2,500)

VesiGlobe: A Service-based Platform for Extracellular Vesicle Characterisation and Engineering. PI: Dr Rachel Butler.  Co-I with Dr Matthew Vassey.

July 2025

Diamond SAXS BAG (£361,000 equivalent; renewed December 2025)

Beamtime for SAXS and SEC-SAXS. PI: Dr Matthew Derry.  Co-I with Prof. Paul Topham, Prof. Roslyn Bill, Dr Valentin Beyer, Dr Alfred-Fernandez-Castane, Dr Philip Kitchen, Dr Ben Lane, Dr Grant Pellowe, Dr Naomi Pollock, Dr Alice Rothnie and Dr James Wilson.

March 2025

Kirby Laing Foundation (£15,000)

Funding for nephelometer and MALDI mass spectrometer. PI: Prof. Roslyn Bill.  Co-I with Prof. Paul Topham.

February 2025

Edward Cadbury Trust (£50,000)

Funding for specialist equipment for AIME. PI: Prof. Roslyn Bill.  Co-I with Prof. Paul Topham.

February 2025

Garfield Weston Foundation (£106,000)

Funding for nephelometer and MALDI mass spectrometer. PI: Prof. Roslyn Bill.  Co-I with Prof. Paul Topham.

June 2025-May 2028

MSCA Fellowship (€260,347.92)

Hosting Dr George Teke. A novel microaerobic bioreactor to enhance magnetotactic bacteria growth and magnetosome production for application as biosorbents for metal recovery from electronic waste. PI: Dr Alfred Fernandez-Castane.  Co-I with Dr Patrick Geoghegan, Prof Maria Teresa Gea Leiva (MTGL) and Prof Raquel Barrena Gomez (RBG).

April 2025-April 2032

DSIT Research Ventures Catalyst (£6,100,000 plus £7,100,000 private investment)

MEMetic. Co-PI with Dr Matthew Derry, Co-Is Prof. Tom Stephenson, Luke Southan and Dr Martina Pasini.

May 2025-April 2027

EU Horizon-RIA Hop On (€479,360)

BIOmimetic selective extraction MEMbranes Hop on, PI: Aquaporin A/S and Universidade De Aveiro (Tânia Melo).

February 2025-April 2025

Aston Bridging Fund (£10,000)

Bridging funds to support Dr Dominik Brotherton between awards.  Optimal cell factories for membrane protein production.

April 2025-September 2025

Diamond Light Source (£19,000 equivalent)

SEC-SAXS for functionalised polymer-lipid-protein nanodiscs for exquisitely selective water filtration devices. PI: Dr Matthew Derry. Co-I with Prof. Paul Topham.

December 2024

Wolfson Foundation (£500,000)

The Wolfson Centre for Membrane Excellence. PI: Prof. Roslyn Bill. Co-I with Prof. Paul Topham.

November 2024-December 2024

Health and Life Science Joint Research Group Funding (£1,000)

Research collaboration with Aquaporin A/S. PI. Co-I Divya Panchal.

October 2025-September 2029

Aston PhD+ Scholarship with Mondelez (£40,000 Aston contribution; £40,000 industry)

Selective removal of bitterness compounds during chocolate production. PI. Co-Is Dr Matthew Derry and Dr John Simms.

October 2025-September 2033

BBSRC Doctoral Training Landscape Award (£1,700,000 Aston share)

Midlands Integrative Biosciences Training Partnership (MIBTP2025). PI: Prof. Vardis Ntoukakis (Warwick); Co-I with Kelly Chennery and Dr Erin Gorsich (Warwick), Dr Alice Rothnie (Aston), Prof. Derek Renshaw and Prof. Mark Wheatley (Coventry), Dr Marin Hare (Harper Adams), Dr Stephen Hall (STFC), Prof. Tim Dafforn and Dr Tim Knowles (Birmingham) and Dr Jonathan McDearmid and Prof. Julian Ketley (Leicester).

September 2024-July 2025

AIME Funding (£57,362)

Biophysical properties of the nuclear membrane. PI: Dr Rebecca Jones. Co-PI with Dr Alice Rothnie.

September 2024-July 2025

AIME Funding (£52,900)

Mass spectrometry technical specialist. PI: Prof. Corinne Spickett.

August 2024-May 2026

UKRI Engineering Biology Seed Corn Fund (£100,000)

Optimal cell factories for membrane protein production. PI: Dr Alexander Darlington (University of Warwick). Co-PI with Prof. Phillip Stansfeld (University of Warwick) and Dr Douglas Browning and Prof. Roslyn Bill (Aston University).

August 2024-May 2026

UKRI Engineering Biology Seed Corn Fund (£100,000)

Engineering of Extracellular Vesicles for Oral Delivery of Nucleic Acid Therapies. PI: Dr Driton Vllasaliu (King’s College London). Co-PI with Dr Maya Thanou (King’s College London), Prof. Snjezana Stolnik-Trenkic and Prof. Cameron Alexander (University of Nottingham).

July 2024-July 2025

BBSRC Impact Accelerator Award (£59,000)

Development of a novel targeted drug delivery system using polymer lipid particles. PI: Dr Alice Rothnie, Co-I with Dr Lisette Sanchez-Aranguren.

July 2024-July 2025

BBSRC ALERT 2023 (£1,488,712)

Cutting-edge Mass Spectrometry for the Midlands Membrane and Bioscience Communities. PI: Dr Ivana Milic, Co-I with Prof. Andrew Devitt, Prof. Roslyn Bill, Prof. Corinne Spickett, Dr Alice Rothnie, Dr Philip Kitchen, Dr Alfred Fernandez-Castane and Mr Jiteen Ahmed.

September 2024-September 2026

Horizon Europe MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship (€236,748.48)

Hosting Dr. Ushasree Mrudulakumari Vasudevan. A synthetic yeast methanotroph for methane based sustainable biomanufacturing, Co-I: Dr Stephan Noack (Forschungszentrum Jülich).

April 2024-April 2025

DSIT Research Ventures Catalyst (£100,000)

Exquisitely selective bioinspired filtration membranes. PI. Co-Is Dr Matthew Derry and Luke Southan.

June 2024-May 2026

UKRI Engineering Biology Mission Award (£1,654,627.18; Aston share £438,816)

Engineering of Extracellular Vesicles for Oral Delivery of Nucleic Acid Therapies. PI: Dr Driton Vllasaliu (King’s College London). Co-PI with Dr Maya Thanou (King’s College London), Prof. Snjezana Stolnik-Trenkic and Prof. Cameron Alexander (University of Nottingham).

June 2024-May 2026

UKRI Engineering Biology Mission Award (£1,761,242; Aston share £1,078,805)

Optimal cell factories for membrane protein production. PI: Dr Alexander Darlington (University of Warwick). Co-PI with Prof. Phillip Stansfeld (University of Warwick) and Dr Douglas Browning and Prof. Roslyn Bill (Aston University).

May 2024-November 2024

British Council Springboard Award (£9,000)

Bioinspired membranes for selective recovery from wastewater. PI Dr Matthew Derry. Co-PI with Dr Mona Semsarilar (Institut Europeen des Membranes, France).

August 2024-March 2029

Research England Expanding Excellence in England (£9,962,812)

Aston Institute for Membrane Excellence (AIME). Co-PI with Prof. Roslyn Bill, Prof. Paul Topham, Dr Alice Rothnie, Prof. Andrew Devitt, Prof. Corinne Spickett, Dr Matthew Derry and Dr Alfred Fernandez-Castane.

April 2024-March 2027

EU Horizon Pathfinder (€3,000,000; Aston share €880,000)

BIOmimetic selective extraction MEMbranes (BIOMEM). PI. Co-Is Dr Matthew Derry, Prof. Paul Topham, Prof. Roslyn Bill, Dr Alice Rothnie, Prof. Brian Tighe. Collaboration with Aquaporin A/S, Glycom A/S, European Institute of Membranes – University of Montpellier, Tampere University and University of Copenhagen.

External positions

External Examiner, Liverpool John Moores University

2017 → 2021

Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):

  1. SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
    SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
  2. SDG 7 - Affordable and Clean Energy
    SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy
  3. SDG 9 - Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
    SDG 9 Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
  4. SDG 12 - Responsible Consumption and Production
    SDG 12 Responsible Consumption and Production
  5. SDG 13 - Climate Action
    SDG 13 Climate Action

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