Current members
Dr michelle holland (Principal investigator/senior lecturer)
Michelle completed a B.Med.Sc (Hons) majoring in molecular biology at The University of Sydney, Australia (2002). After working in the laboratory of Professor Doug Higgs at the MRC Haematology Unit, Oxford, UK, she returned to The University of Sydney to complete her PhD studies (2004-2008), for which she was awarded a Cancer Institute of NSW Research Scholar Award. Michelle then joined the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute as a post-doctoral researcher to study epigenetic control of gene regulation in the laboratory of Professor Catherine Suter before taking up a RCUK Academic Fellowship in Professor Vardhman Rakyan’s laboratory, Blizard Institute, London, UK. As a post-doctoral researcher she expanded her interest in the role of epigenetic mechanisms as mediators of gene-environment interactions. From 2017, she joined King’s College London as a Lecturer and principal investigator of the Epigenetics and Post-transcriptional Gene Regulation group. Michelle is a recognised Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
dr liudmila mikheeva (post-doctoral research associate)
Mila completed her BSc and MSc in finance and statistics-related disciplines: National Research University, Russia in 2017 (BSc), London School of Economics, UK in 2017 (BSc), University of Essex, UK in 2018 (MSc). After she was awarded the University of Essex Doctoral Scholarship, she started her interdisciplinary PhD project in the Department of Mathematical Sciences and School of Life Science, where she joined the Dr Radu Zabet's Lab. Her project aimed to deepen our knowledge about 3D chromatin architecture, DNA insulation machinery and transcription using statistical methods. Mila did a short postdoc in the Professor Anne Ferguson-Smith's Lab, University of Cambridge in 2022-2023. She worked as a bioinformatician on the project focused on epigenetic mechanisms involved in mammary gland development. In August 2023, Mila moved to the Dr Michelle Holland's Lab, King's College London. She focuses on understanding the mechanisms of epigenetic regulation in relation to anthropomorphic traits linked to obesity and body fat distribution based on UK Biobank data.
fabio grundland freile (phd candidate)
Fabio completed a BSc in Biomedical Science with Extra Mural Year at King’s College London. During his studies, he worked at Professor Joy Burchell’s Laboratory exploring the role of aberrantly glycosylated MUC1 in the breast cancer immune microenvironment. After graduating, he joined Professor Iain McNeish’s group at Imperial College London, where he investigated the therapeutic potential of a novel histone methyltransferase inhibitor in an in-vivo model of ovarian cancer. Additionally, he collaborated with the Wey lab at the Francis Crick Institute to assess the survival benefit of a genetically altered oncolytic virus in a murine high-grade serous carcinoma model. Fabio joined the Holland Lab in October 2021 after being awarded the CRUK KHP PhD studentship. He is currently investigating the role of the extra-cellular matrix in the development of colorectal cancer liver metastasis.
yuyang (sunny) cai (Phd candidate)
Yuyang completed her MSci in Biochemistry at University College London (2018–2022), where she conducted research on the mechanisms of m6A-RNA-IMP1 protein interactions in the laboratory of Prof. Andres Ramos. Following this, she worked as a research assistant in Prof. Janusz Bujnicki’s lab in Poland, studying RNA structural dynamics in relation to various chemical modifications. After receiving the BBSRC LiDO Studentship, Yuyang returned to the UK to begin her PhD studies (2023–present) in the Holland Lab. Her current research focuses on investigating the relationship between tRNA modifications and biological aging using Nanopore tRNA sequencing.
current undergraduate lab members
Ms Yanjing Zhang-Applied Bioinformatics MSc, 2026
Ms Yagmur Ates-Biomedical Science BSc, 3rd Year Project, 2026
PAST LAB MEMBERS
Staff
Dr Pui Law -Senior Post-doc
PhD Students
Piotr Kwiatkowski, “Modulation of influenza A virus replication via N6-methyladenosine RNA modification and IFITM expression”, 2025
Maha Heath, “A novel strategy to combine histone deacetylase inhibitors with oncolytic adenovirus for the treatment of triple negative breast cancer”, 2025
Visiting Scientists
Dr James Miller -Medical Foundation Program Research Placement, 2020
MSc/MRes/MSci Students
Ms Jasmine Mahgerefteh -MSc in Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, 2026
Ms Rattan Kaur - visiting MRes placement, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Mohali, 2022
Ms Anastasia Li - MSci in Molecular Genetics, 2021
Ms Vanessa Tenkorang - MSc in Pharmacology, 2020
Ms Wanqi Tao - MSc in Genomic Medicine, 2020
Mr Athanasios Dardos - MSc in Biomedical and Molecular Sciences Research, 2018
PhD Rotation Students
Miss Yuyang Cai-LiDo DTP Rotation Student, 2023
Mr James Cain - MRC DTP Rotation Student, 2020
Mr Tek Hong Chung -MRC DTP Rotation Student, 2019
3rd Year Biomedical Science Students
Mr Thomas Cittern-Suddaby Biomedical Science BSc, 3rd Year Project, 2024
Ms Min Waye Chew - Biomedical Science BSc, 3rd Year Project, 2023
Ms Siqi Liu - Biomedical Science BSc, 3rd Year Project, 2022
Ms Kaynath Shahid - Biomedical Science BSc, 3rd Year Project, 2021
Ms Anastasia Li - Biomedical Science BSc, 3rd Year Project, 2020
Mr Joseph Jankinson - Medical Genetics Intercalated BSc, 2019
Mr Adrian Signell - Biomedical Science BSc, 3rd Year Project, 2018
Summer Students
Ms Olivia Rusu -BBSRC LIDO Research Experience Placement, 2019
Ms Mia Cabantous -Biomedical Science BSc, Summer placement, 2018/2019
Mr Keir Murison -University of Cambridge, Summer Placement, 2017