Welcome to the home page of Alexis Lomakin's lab at King's College
London:
The Lomakin Lab addresses basic, curiosity-driven, questions in cell
biology concerning spatiotemporal organization of cells that make up
tissues and organs in the human body. How do cells sense their own shape and size, and measure distances? How do cells adapt their dimensions to variations in the extracellular environment? How do cells use information about their geometry to localize signaling or make decisions?
How do cells estimate dimensions of the
organ or tissue that they build?
To answer these questions, the lab
utilizes an interdisciplinary approach
combining molecular and cellular biology with bioengineering,
physicochemical
biology, and computational modeling. Collaborating with physicists and engineers, we develop creative
experimental approaches to manipulate, image, and quantify cellular
processes in living cells and reconstituted tissues.
With this approach, we wish to discover quantitative molecular and
biomechanical mechanisms
underlying the dynamic cellular processes responsible for cell and
tissue morphogenesis in healthy and diseased state.
Our vision:
It is our conviction that we need more curiosity-driven basic research aimed at understanding the principles governing life. The reasons are simple: 1) we need to learn more about the world around us; and 2) a robust and diverse basic research enterprise will bring innovative ideas and approaches essential for developing new medicines and improving the lives of humankind (an interesting essay on this matter is written by Dr. Angelika Amon, a professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and an investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI): A case for more curiosity-driven basic research. Mol Biol Cell. 2015 Nov 1; 26(21): 3690-3691).
Our values and culture:
- Be ambitious, persistent, and determined.
- Stay humble and modest. Individuals and teams can do amazing things when they share the credit.
- Great discoveries lurk everywhere; keep your eyes open.
- Success begins by choosing important problems, coming to fruition with great ideas and great execution.
- Stay focused and mindful of our goals with a clear understanding of the path ahead.
- Value uniqueness, helping people be the best they can be at what they do best.
- Work hard but have fun and be a little quirky.
Job opportunities:
Our vision is to solve complex biological problems in cell & tissue research through highly collaborative, international, and multi-disciplinary team science. Therefore, we welcome scholars from all over the world with backgrounds in both the biomedical and physical/computational sciences. If you are interested in opportunities within the Lomakin lab, please e-mail Dr. Alexis Lomakin: alexis.lomakin@kcl.ac.uk