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Laura Munoz-Baena
Laura is a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Biology, interested in virus evolution and how viruses have shaped life on Earth. Her research identifies ancient viral integrations in vertebrate genomes by searching for host genomic regions with similarity to viral proteins. These viral sequences can provide clues about the deep history of virus–host interactions and their potential roles in host evolution.
She joined the MPLS committee to help facilitate communication between postdocs and the wider university, making Oxford easier to navigate during short-term appointments.
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Adam Mulkern
Adam Mulkern is a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Biology, studying the within-host evolution of antimicrobial resistance, particularly in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Using high-throughput technologies and large-scale in-vitro evolution experiments, his work explores how genetic diversity shapes resistance development in clinical settings. He became a representative to advocate for postdocs and contribute to a supportive and inclusive research environment.
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Leto Luana Riebel
Leto Luana is a postdoctoral researcher in the Computational Cardiovascular Sciences Team in the department of Computer Science. In her work, she runs multiscale computer simulations of the healthy and diseased human heart, informed by clinical and experimental data. She is particularly passionate about uncovering mechanisms that disturb the regular beating of the heart. As one of the Computer Science Research Community Leads and member of the Research Staff Forum, Leto Luana aims to promote a supportive, inclusive, and inspiring research culture.
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Rita Kounoudis
Rita is a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Earth Sciences, interested in exploring the evolution of plate tectonics across space and time. Her research involves using seismology to image the internal structure of Earth’s tectonic plates and the deeper mantle.
Rita serves as a research representative to advocate for postdocs and help foster an inclusive, supportive, and engaging research community.
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Tom Kettlety
Tom Kettlety is a Research Fellow in Geological Carbon Storage in the Department of Earth Sciences and a core team member of Oxford Net Zero, an interdisciplinary research initiative based in the School of Geography and the Environment. His research focuses on geophysical monitoring methods for industrial activities, primarily using measurements of small earthquakes and ground vibrations. He combines field observations, geomechanical modelling, and statistical analysis to understand subsurface behaviour and mitigate risks associated with underground fluid injection and extraction. Applications of this include geological carbon dioxide storage, mining, and geothermal energy. Alongside this technical work, he conducts research and engagement on environmental regulation and certification, helping to ensure that industrial policy and regulation are informed by scientific evidence and principles.
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Yvonne Lu
Dr Huiqi Yvonne Lu is a researcher and principal investigator with expertise in AI for health informatics and computing infrastructure, a Senior Member of IEEE, and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Her research focuses on multimodal time-series modelling, LLM-guided biological modelling, and federated learning (swarm intelligence) for the health monitoring of humans, machines, and the environment, especially on edge and in-network computing devices. She holds a College Lectureship in Engineering at the University of Oxford. She is a member of the Engineering EDI committee, and has served as the Co-chair of the Researcher Committee at the Engineering Science since 2022.
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Theo Hobson
Theo Hobson is a research fellow in the Department of Materials. His research focuses on photovoltaic solar cells, specifically the experimental characterisation of charge-transport interfaces in next-generation tandem devices. In particular, Theo aims to deploy state-of the art x-ray spectroscopy techniques (e.g. photoemission and absorption) to probe defect-mediated recombination losses and degradation sites relevant to silicon, perovskite and chalcogenide solar cells.
Representing a small but highly interdisciplinary department, Theo hopes to forge links with other departments across the MPLS division and form networks of mutual support for researchers.
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Chris Couzens
Chris is a departmental lecturer in Mathematical Physics based in the Department of Mathematics. His research is focussed on geometric aspects of string theory, black hole physics and holography. Chris lectures two General Relativity courses as part of the Part C/MSc programme within the Maths department. He has been involved within committees within the Maths department since starting his position in 2022 and is currently the chair of the ECR committee within the Maths department. He became a representative in order to encourage better representation of postdocs within the university and to contribute to a supportive and inclusive environment where postdocs can thrive.
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Giulia Laura Celora
Giulia is a Hooke Research Fellow in Mathematical Biology at the Mathematical Institute and a Lecturer at St Anne's College. Her research focuses on using mechanistic mathematical modelling to understand the emergent dynamics of heterogeneous collectives in biological systems, including the organisation of biomolecules within cells, collective cell migration, and tumour growth. Her work is highly interdisciplinary, sitting at the interface of applied mathematics, soft matter physics, and cell biology. Giulia joined the RSF to help improve the postdoctoral experience, particularly for underrepresented groups in STEM. She is especially interested in identifying barriers to researchers' career development and promoting inclusive practices that strengthen both research culture and scientific excellence.
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Kai Shinbrough
Kai Shinbrough is a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Oxford Ion Trap Quantum Computing Group in the Department of Physics, where he works toward fast quantum gates and continuous variable quantum computing in the ion-trap platform. Kai has a wide range of experience organizing for DE&I service and labour rights for graduate students; in the RSF he aims to leverage this experience to benefit post-docs in MPLS.
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James Gillanders
James is a postdoctoral researcher based in the Department of Physics. Specifically, working in the Astrophysics sub-department, and his research focuses on finding, classifying, and observing some of the most extreme and energetic stellar explosions and mergers in the Universe. James has a particular interest in neutron star mergers, as observations of these can help to advance our understanding of the production mechanism for many of the heaviest elements (such as platinum and gold). He became a representative as he feels passionately about postdoctoral researchers being well-represented and supported during their time in Oxford.
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Ka Man (Ambrose) Yim
Ka Man (Ambrose) Yim is a postdoctoral research associate at the Statistics Department and the Erlangen AI Hub on the Mathematical Foundations of AI. His main research area is topological data analysis, the application of algebraic topology to understanding shape and structure in real life data. He is interested in practical computational methods for estimating topological invariants from data, and theoretical guarantees for such algorithms. He also works on developing machine learning methods for graphs and network data.
As RSF representative for the Statistics Department, I hope to raise awareness of issues that concern early career researchers at the Division level, and discuss solutions with representatives from other departments.
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Fergus Imrie
Fergus is a Florence Nightingale Bicentenary Fellow based in the Department of Statistics. His research is focused on developing machine learning methods and techniques for applications in medicine and drug discovery. Fergus runs The Network, a forum created to support and connect postdocs and research fellows in the Department of Statistics.
He became a representative to support ECRs beyond Statistics and foster closer connections between departments.
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Emma Lalande
Emma Lalande is a postdoctoral researcher in Science & Society, embedded in the Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery as a member of Founding Director Professor Dame Carol Robinson's group and the Kavli Organisational Development Team.
Having worked across lots of different science departments and disciplines, Emma has a core interest in interdisciplinary working patterns and behaviours, effective cross-disciplinary communication, and exploring internal and external engagement mechanisms.
She has joined the RSF to represent the growing interdisciplinary sciences community, as well as leverage her experiences across College and University networks to support benefits for postdoctoral researchers and advocate for positive research culture.
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