Simon Cook

Alumni – where are they now and what are they doing?

Former PhD students

Claire Weston:
Graduated in 2000 Moved on to Post-Doc with Roger Davis at HHMI, UMASS, Worcester. Now re-located to San Diego.

Claire Chalmers:
Graduated 2001 Took a position with GSK at Stevenage. Now re-located to Bath.

Sarah Molton:
Graduated 2002 Moved to Post-Doc with Martin McMahon at UCSF Cancer Centre. Now Business Development Manager for Cancer Research Technology based in London and Glasgow.

Ruth Densham:
Graduated 2004 After a Post-Doc with Michael Olson at the Beatson Institute for Cancer Research, Glasgow Ruth moved to Post-Doc with Jo Morris at KCL, Guy’s Hospital.

Katherine Ewings:
Graduated 2006 Moved to Post-Doc with Kevin Ryan at the Beatson Institute for Cancer Research, Glasgow. Currently Senior Scientist in Functional Pharmacology at Cancer Research Technology, London.

Nikki March:
Graduated 2006 Currently a Post-Doc with Doug Winton at the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Research Institute.

Rebecca Arkell:
Graduated 2008 After a brief Post-Doc with Alison Lloyd at the Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology, UCL Rebecca has taken a post as R & D Policy Officer with the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, London.

Ceri Wiggins:
Graduated 2009 Moved to a Post-Doc position with Steve Ley and Gitta Stockinger at the NIMR, Mill Hill, London

Victoria Knights:
Graduated 2009. Moved to a Scientist post in Functional Pharmacology with Cancer Research Technology, London

Claire Cope:
Graduated in 2012. Moved to Scientific Officer post at the Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton. Now Senior Policy Officer at The Academy of Medical Sciences

Matthew Sale:
Graduated 2013. Stayed on in the Cook lab as a post-doc funded by AstraZeneca on a collaborative project with Duncan Jodrell and Fran Richards at the CRUK Cambridge Institute

Nicola Darling:
Graduated with her PhD in 2015 and has headed north to Dundee where she is a post-doc working with Sir Phillip Cohen in the MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit

Jayeta Saxena:
Graduated in 2016 and moved to post-doc at Barts Cancer Centre, London
 
James Sipthorp:
Graduated in 2016 and moved to post-doc at the ARUK/UCL Drug Discovery Institute. We miss his knowledge of chemistry, cricket and constant piss-taking.
 
Jack Prescott:
Graduated in 2017 and has moved to Post-Doc with Stuart Firestein at Columbia University, New York, where he is developing cell models and assays to study the human olfactory system. No doubt he still finds time to follow Liverpool FC; it takes all sorts....
 

Former Post-Docs & Research Assistants

Andrew Garner:
Moved into Drug Discovery, taking a position a position as a Team Leader in Lead Generation, Cancer & Infection Group, AstraZeneca, Alderley Edge. Recently joined the Novartis Institute for BioMedical Research, Massachusetts, USA as a Research Investigator in Oncology Biotherapeutics

Daniel Todd:
Moved into Drug Discovery, taking a position at BioFocus. Is currently Principal Scientist with BioFocus Discovery Ltd, Saffron Walden.

Tracy Millar:
Still missing in action. Last seen heading for New Zealand. Report of appearance as Elf No 6 in LOTR movies proved to be bogus. Tracy where are you?

Matt Squires:
Moved to set up cell-based assays at Astex Therapeutics. Is currently Senior Research Associate at Astex Therapeutics, Cambridge Science Park

Paula Nixon:
Re-located to the USA. Now returned to Cambridge area and working at PPD Development, Granta Park, Cambridge.

Catherine Newson:
Moved to work in the Inflammation group at Novartis, Horsham. Now re-located to New Zealand.

Simon Chell:
After much debate decided to stick with science rather than become a professional guitar hero/rock god. Presently at GlaxoSmithKline as a Senior Scientist, in the Oncology section of their Biopharmaceuticals Discovery Team in Stevenage.

Shaista Hayat:
Re-trained as a teacher and now living and teaching in the Cambridge area. The education of your children is in safe hands!

Julie Wickenden:
Moved to take up a post-doc post with Christine Watson in the Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge. Took her entire shoe collection with her in three packing cases.

Felix Krueger:
​Moved to take up a core post in Bioinformatics at the Babraham Institute. He remains an honourable member of the Cook laboratory and is still close enough for us to taunt him!

Anne Ashford:
Graduated in 2013. Stayed on in the Cook lab as a BBSRC funded post-doc studying the protein kinase DYRK1B. Anne has now moved to work with AstraZeneca in Cambridge, close enough to stay in touch so we still benefit from her zen-like wisdom!