Overview

Dr Katherine Helliwell is a molecular microbiologist focussed primarily on the fundamental biology of photosynthetic marine microbes, which critically underpin marine ecosystems. She pursued a PhD and postdoc with Professor Alison Smith in the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge. During this time she dissected the role of organic micronutrients (vitamins) in governing interactions between phytoplankton and bacteria, and brought significant advances to our understanding in vitamin metabolism in aquatic microbes. Following her time in Cambridge, Katherine joined the MBA as a senior postdoctoral researcher working on phytoplankton signalling mechanisms with Professor Colin Brownlee and Dr Glen Wheeler. In summer 2018, Katherine was awarded a NERC Independent Research Fellowship. She recently joined Exeter Biosciences as a Joint University of Exeter/Marine Biological Association Research Fellow.  Moving forward as a new lab, Katherine intends to couple her expertise in studying interactions between marine microbes, and phytoplankton signalling mechanisms, to better understand how marine microbes sense and respond to their environment.

Qualifications

2007-2011 PhD Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge

2004-2007 BSc Biological Sciences, University of Bristol (first class honours)

Career

Jan 2019- NERC Independent Research Fellow

Jan 2019- Joint University of Exeter/Marine Biological Association Research Fellow

Nov 2015-Dec 2018 ERC-funded Postdoctoral researcher, Marine Biological Association, Plymouth

Oct 2011-Oct 2015 BBSRC-funded Postdoctoral researcher, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge

Oct 2007-Nov 2011 PhD Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge

2004-2007 BSc Biological Sciences, University of Bristol

Research group links

• Environmental Biology
• Cell and Developmental Biology
• Plant and Algal Biology

Back to top

Research

Research interests

Marine phytoplankton are an evolutionarily and metabolically diverse group of organisms that play vital roles in regulating global ocean processes. Despite their significant ecological importance, basic aspects of phytoplankton biology, physiology and genetics remain unexplored. A key motivation of my work is elucidating the fundamental molecular mechanisms that control how phytoplankton interact with their environment and other planktonic microbes in the ocean, how these interactions evolve, and the metabolic processes that govern them.

Back to top