OUR LAB

Ivan Kadurin

Principal Investigator

Ivan obtained his PhD in Life Sciences from the University of Tübingen in Germany with Professor Stefan Gründer. His PhD work focused on neurophysiology and ion channel receptors — in particular neuronal Acid-Sensing Ion Channels (ASICs). He then undertook postdoctoral studies on neuronal Voltage–Gated Calcium (Ca_V) Channels with Professor Annette Dolphin FRS FMedSci at UCL. Ivan also worked as a visiting researcher in UCLA in the laboratory of Professor Riccardo Olcese applying Voltage-Clamp Fluorometry (VCF), an optical technique to study calcium channels in live cells.

In 2022, he took a lectureship position at Queen Mary University of London to establish his research laboratory supported by the MRC New Investigator Research Grant (2022–2025).

Dr. Najoua Biba

Postdoctoral Research Assistant | 2023–Present

Najoua is a postdoc with a background in electrophysiology from Marseille, France. She studies the electrophysiological effects of α₂δ–Ca_V interactions in mammalian cell lines and primary neuron cultures.

Hannah Joanne Lee

PhD Student | 2022–Present

Secondary supervisor: Prof. Maurice Elphick

Hannah is a PhD student studying the regulation of calcium channels through post-translational modifications of α₂δ. Hailing from Essex, she graduated with an MSci in Neuroscience from UCL in 2021 where she gained experience in the Smart group studying neuronal physiology in mouse models of Down syndrome. Before starting her PhD, she worked as a research technician at the UCL Cancer Institute and spent time interning in a Huntington’s disease lab (Tabrizi group, Institute of Neurology, UCL).

In her free time, Hannah loves to hike, read, and tend to her plant collection (and sometimes gifts us her extras!)

AJ Martin

PhD Student | 2024–Present

Secondary supervisor: Dr. Matthew Gold (UCL)

AJ is a BBSRC LIDo PhD student studying the mechanism of α₂δ-mediated Ca_V2.2 regulation. Originally from Brighton, he graduated with an MSci Chemistry with Medicinal Chemistry from Imperial College London, where he developed novel peptide inhibitors of DNA replication initiation in the Barnard Group.

Outside of the lab, AJ co-leads the Benzo Research Project: an independent small charity investigating benzodiazepine dependence among young people in the UK.