ABOUT THE TAYLOR LAB

We use a wide range of techniques to study the structure and function of protein complexes.

The Taylor Lab is located in Copenhagen, Denmark, at the Novo Nordisk Foundation Centre for Protein Research at the Panum Institute, University of Copenhagen.
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State-of-the-art research

We employ an array of methodologies to elucidate the structure and function of protein complexes. This includes single particle analysis using cryo electron microscopy, molecular biology, bioinformatics, protein structure prediction and design, while we are constantly expanding and renewing on our methods and understanding. We have access to state-of-the-art platforms, such as the Core Facility for Integrated Microscopy, our local computing cluster, and ongoing international collaborations.

In the heart of Copenhagen

We enjoy a fantastic infrastructure, both at work and outside, as Copenhagen is home to one of the world’s best bike lane networks. With a high standard of living, excellent opportunities for “friluftlsliv” and “hygge”, Copenhagen is a wonderful place to live and work.

Meet the team

Inga Songailiene

Postdoc

Inga obtained their PhD from the Vilnius University, Institute of Biotechnology, where she focused on CRISPR-Cas systems that function as defense systems of bacteria and archaea against foreign mobile genetic elements. She then continued as a Research Scientist there, followed by an Associate Research Scientist role where she carried on a 20-month scientific project on structural and functional investigation of genome editing tools. She will continue her research at the Taylor Lab on contractile injection systems, employing single particle analysis and in situ cryoelectron tomography.

Haidai Hu

Postdoc

Haidai obtained their PhD from Institut Pasteur where he received training as a structural biologist. His doctoral research mainly focused on the structure and function of pentameric ligand-gated ion channels. Within the Taylor group, Haidai has worked on bacterial flagella, with a particular emphasis on the flagellar stator unit. He has also studied the structure and function of novel bacterial anti-phage defence systems using diverse biotechnology techniques.

Claudia Kielkopf

Postdoc

Claudia did their bachelors from the University of Tübingen (Germany), masters at Linköping University (Sweden), and PhD University of Wollongong (Australia) before joining us as a postdoc in 2020. Her project is on contractile injection systems and their tail fibres, working on protein expression, purification, sample preparation, and cryo EM analysis, alongside bioinformatics and structure prediction. Claudia has experience with expression, purification and vitrification of small soluble proteins as well as eCISs, and "general" cryo-EM and local refinement workflows.

Leyre Marin Arraiza

PhD Fellow

Leyre has a background in Biomedical Biotechnology and received their bachelors from the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre. Leyre first joined the lab as a student assistant, and then continued to do their Master's thesis, staying with us to do their PhD project, which focuses on extracellular contractile injection systems. She is working on the structural characterization by single-particle cryo-EM, and combining the structural information with functional assays and bioinformatic analysis.

Mònica Santiveri

PhD Fellow

Mònica is a biotechnologist with specialisation in cell and molecular biotechnology. As a research assistant, she worked on the bacterial flagellar motor project, where she gained experience in cloning, membrane protein expression and purification, as well as single particle cryoEM. As a PhD student, she is studying the structure and mechanism of tailocins, along with potential modifications.

Shweta Bhatt

PhD Fellow

Shweta did their Bachelors in Pharmacy at the Manipal Academy of Higher Education, before their master’s here at the University of Copenhagen. She joined the Taylor group in 2018 as a research assistant before starting her PhD in 2020. Her research has focused on the structural elucidation and characterization of bacteriophages, with a focus on cryo-EM. Shewta has been actively involved in many student-led initiatives within CPR, KU and the international community in Copenhagen.

Freddie Martin

Postdoc

Freddie did his Master’s in Chemistry at the University of Bath, working on small-molecule organic synthesis, before moving to Bristol for their PhD at the Chemical Synthesis Centre for Doctoral Training, where he worked on protein design and understanding protein sequence-to-structure relationships in the Woolfson group. Freddie is currently working collaboratively with others on the understanding of anti-phage defence systems and the bacterial flagellar motor in conjunction with protein design.

Victor Klein-Sousa

PhD Fellow

Victor completed their master’s studies in physics in Brazil at the Universidade de São Paulo, working on antimicrobial peptide interaction with membrane models, mostly with synchrotron radiation circular dichroism. Victor’s PhD is focused on  bacteriophages and structural biology: implementing large-scale structural-based ML approaches, to investigate how phages recognize their hosts.

Nicole Rutbeek

PhD Fellow

Nicole completed their master’s in Microbiology at the University of Manitoba, researching small prophage proteins and their role in altering host regulation gaining experience in X-ray crystallography as well as techniques for looking at protein-protein interactions. Nicole’s PhD project involves the structural (cryo-EM) and functional characterisation of novel membrane-associated phage defence systems.

Aritz Roa Eguiara

PhD Fellow

Aritz received his bachelors from the Universidad del País Vasco before joining us for their master’s studies where he worked on understanding the stator units of the bacterial flagellar motor. Aritz continued with us for his PhD where he is studying bacteriophages, their interactions with the membrane, and anti-phage defence systems.

Rooshanie Nadia Ejaz

PhD Fellow

Rooshanie has a primary research interest in the infection aetiology of bacteria. During their bachelor studies at Roskilde University, she trained as a microbiologist, studying clinical strains of pathogenic bacteria isolated from humans. They have experience in mammalian cell cultures, and wound healing assays. During their master’s thesis studies, they acquired skills in recombinant protein purification and expression and CRISPR based genomic strain engineering. Their PhD at the Taylor Lab, is focused on in situ cryo-electron tomography and single particle analysis.

FORMER LAB MEMBERS

Alumni

February 2020 - 2024

Maria del Mar Perez

Former Postdoc

Mar is a biologist specialising in structural biology, biochemistry, and biophysics. They received their PhD in Biology from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, where they researched the protein components of the bacteriophage T7 core, a DNA translocation complex, by cryo-EM and other biophysics techniques.Her research in the Taylor group focused on investigating the molecular mechanisms of AAA+ proteins, which is a component of extracellular contractile injection systems (eCISs).

February 2020 - 2024

Eva Maria Rebrova

Former Postdoc

Eva joined us after receiving their PhD from the Karolinska Institutet, and worked on contractile injection systems. They are now a principal investigator at Lund University and a part of the Spin-Outs Denmark Translational Program.

July 2020 - September 2022

Nicolas Kjær-Jensen

Former Bachelor student

Nicolas worked with us on understanding human multidrug transporters, after completing his bachelor’s studies with us he has joined the Aricescu lab for his PhD at the LMB in Cambridge.

May 2018 - May 2022

Isha Raj

Former Postdoc

Isha joined us after a postdoc at the Jovine lab at the Karolinska Institutet, working with us on understanding human multidrug transporters. They are now a Research Project Coordinator at the NNF Center for Protein Research.

September 2018 - February 2023

Magnus Borup Bloch

Former PhD Fellow

Magnus’s PhD was focused on understanding human multidrug transporters. He has since moved to the UK and is doing a postdoc at Birkbeck, University of London.

December 2021 - October 2023

Yumeng Yan

Former Postdoc

Yumeng worked between the Taylor and Rasmussen groups at CPR. His research was focused on bioinformatic analysis and artificial intelligence as a tool for understanding structural biology problems.

Former visitors

Former visitors at The Taylor Lab

Ricardo Adaixo

Visiting postdoc from Biozentrum, University of Basel (Henning Stahlberg group)

February 2019

Jan Binovsky

Visiting PhD student from CEITEC (Pavel Plevka group)

November 2021 - December 2021

Friederieke Pisarz

Visiting PhD student from University of Mainz (Ralf Heermann group)

April 2022 - June 2022

Julia Schmidt

Visiting PhD student from Humboldt University (Marc Erhardt group)

August 2022 - October 2022

Vyshakh Panicke

Visiting PhD Student from Malopolska Centre of Biotechnology, UJ (Mostowy group)

Team gallery

CAREER

Taylor Lab is looking for new talents

Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research (CPR) offers excellent opportunities for both students and researchers to join a world-leading, interdisciplinary and diverse scientific environment, with a strong collaborative spirit within and across research programs.
The center is dedicated to train future leaders in academia and industrial biomedicine and we offer great opportunities for master students, PhD fellows and postdoctoral fellows to participate in pioneering research within proteomics, protein structure and function, protein memory, protein signaling and disease systems biology.

Work with us

We are continuously looking for students and researchers at all career levels to join the center and investigate the role of proteins in health and disease, and contribute to the development of future generations of diagnostics and treatment. Please send your application (CV and motivation) to:  nicholas.taylor@cpr.ku.dk

Open positions

Open positions will be displayed here.

 Find us

Novo Nordisk Foundation Centerfor Protein ResearchUniversity of CopenhagenBlegdamsvej 3B, DK-2200 Copenhagen N

Lab size

At the time being the lab consists of 10 researchers.

Lab Facilities

The Taylor Lab has access to world class facilities, including the Protein Production Platform, the Core Facility for Imaging and Microscopy, and the infrastructure offered to labs at the Panum Institute