Nicholas M I Taylor

CV

Nicholas M I Taylor

Current position 
2018–:

Associate professor and group leader, CPR, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

Previous positions
2016–2018:

Postdoctoral researcher with Prof. Dr. Henning Stahlberg, Biozentrum, University of Basel, Switzerland

2014–2016:

Postdoctoral researcher with Prof. Dr. Petr G. Leiman, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland

2012–2013:

Postdoctoral researcher with Dr. Carlos Fernández-Tornero, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas (CIB-CSIC), Madrid, Spain

2011–2012:

Bridging postdoctoral researcher with Dr. Christoph W. Müller, EMBL Heidelberg, Germany

Education 
2007–2011:

PhD in Molecular Biology, magna cum laude.
EMBL and Heidelberg University, Germany
Thesis title: Structural and biochemical studies of the RNA polymerase III-specific transcription factor IIIC. Supervisor: Dr. Christoph W. Müller (defended July 2011)

2007:

MSc in Biochemistry, Faculty of Sciences, Ghent University, Belgium. Thesis research with Prof. Dr. Gabriel Waksman, UCL, London, UK

2005:

Candidate in Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Free University of Brussels (VUB), Belgium

Research awards

2017–2019:

Junior Research Fund, University of Basel

2017:

7th NCCR TransCure Annual Retreat poster prize (1st place)

2016:

IUPAB travel award for the 9th Kuo Summer School of Electron Microscopy & Kuo Symposium on 3D Cryo-EM Molecular Imaging, China

2016:

ISTFELLOW Marie Curie COFUND fellowship, Institute of Science and Technology, Austria (gratefully declined in favor of a postdoctoral position at the University of Basel)

2015:

Postdoc presentation prize, XXIV Biennial Conference on Phage/Virus Assembly, Switzerland

2013:

Eric Reid Fund for Methodology (Biochemical Society)

2013:

FEBS short-term fellowship, Institute of Molecular Biotechnology (IMBA), Austria

2012:

Fundación Futuro installation grant, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas (CIB-CSIC), Spain

2011–2012:

EMBL bridging postdoctoral fellowship, EMBL Heidelberg, Germany

2007–2011:

EMBL predoctoral fellowship, EMBL Heidelberg, Germany

2007:

Belgian American Educational Foundation fellowship, United States (gratefully declined in favor of a Ph.D. fellowship at EMBL)

2006–2007:

Erasmus fellowship, UCL, UK

Short presentation

Several complex biological molecular machineries exist that transfer molecules across lipid bilayers. In the group, we use a combination of cryo-electron microscopy and functional techniques to investigate the structure and mechanism of these systems. Of special interest to us are secretion systems of bacteria, which transfer protein molecules across the lipid bilayer, and contractile injection systems related to contractile bacteriophages which inject DNA and proteins into the cell. We also investigate human membrane transport proteins involved in health and disease.

Our overarching goal is to elucidate how transport across the membrane is achieved as well as regulated. We aim to uncover shared principles as well as fundamental differences between membrane transport systems and are especially interested in investigating these machineries in a near-native, lipid bilayer environment. Apart from gaining fundamental insight into transport across the membrane, our results can also aid structure-based drug design.