News
2026
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James visits Basel to learn expansion microscopy [Oct 2026]James recently spent 3 weeks at the Biozentrum, University of Basel, visiting Ben Engel’s group. The Engel lab uses cryo-electron tomography, expansion microscopy and other techniques to explore the molecular architecture of...
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Mackinder Lab at ICPR 2026 [Jul 2026]
The lab headed to Liverpool for the International Conference on Photosynthesis Research (ICPR2026). Luke and Onyou gave a talk, and James, Katy, Justin and Ousmane presented posters on their research. It was...
2025
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Lab Christmas meal 2025 [Dec 2025]To celebrate the end of 2025, the lab took a break from the bench and headed out for a mini golf social at the Hole in Wand. It was a fun way...
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Ousmane starts his Royal Society Career Development Fellowship! [Oct 2025]Congratulations to Ousmane Dao, who has started a four-year Royal Society Career Development Fellowship in the lab! Ousmane was named in the second cohort of Royal Society Career Development Fellows, and his...
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Mackinder Lab hosts CCM11 [Sep 2025]The Mackinder Lab was delighted to host CCM11 at the University of York. Thank you to all who presented. The standard of the talks and posters was outstanding. Thank you to Plant...
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Molecular Life of Diatoms (MLD8) [Jul 2025]This summer, the world’s leading researchers in diatom molecular biology gathered in Ghent. Onyou, Katy, Herbie, and Luke attended the meeting to share our research through talks and posters. It was wonderful...
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Gaurav receives Flash Talk Award at the Indian Biophysical Society Meeting [Mar 2025]Congratulations!
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Katy organises a science outreach with local schools [Mar 2025]
An important role of a responsible scientist is to make sure our work is understood and accessible to all members of society. By engaging with pupils, we aim not only to inform...
2024
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Lab Christmas meal 2024 [Dec 2024]For this year’s Christmas Social we decided to unleash our creativity at a pottery painting workshop. For a few hours we exchanged pipettes and test tubes for brushes and sponges and had...
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Justin’s viva [Nov 2024]
Congratulations to Dr Justin Lau, who after three years of hard work and dedication has successfully passed his viva!
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Lab walk at the Moors [Aug 2024]
In August, we went out on a lab social. We did a refreshing walk at the Moors, starting from Roseberry Topping to Captain Cook’s Monument and ending up at the pub for...
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Onyou's Cell paper celebration [Aug 2024]
Another great success for the Mackinder lab is that Onyou and the team’s work got accepted in the Cell journal. We celebrated by going out for a meal at an Indian restaurant...
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James' Nature Plants paper celebration [Jul 2024]
After many, many months of hard work, James had his paper accepted in the prestigious Nature Plants journal (keep your eyes peeled for the publication!). Such a success warranted a celebration, and...
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Abi's farewell [Jul 2024]
This July we said goodbye to Abi, who is leaving the lab after three years, with a small get-together and drinks. Abi will be certainly missed, but we wish her all the...
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Onyou gives a talk at Algal Biomass, Biofuels and Bioproducts (AlgalBBB 2024) [Jun 2024]
Every year, the algal biotech research community meets to discuss the latest research and technologies. This year, the conference took place in Clearwater, Florida. Onyou presented the tools we developed to localise...
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Sabina at Pint of Science 2024 [May 2024]
Pubs are not the usual venues for science talks, but every May hundreds of them around the world transform into informal lecture theatres for the Pint of Science Festival. This year Sabina...
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YP3 retreat at Windermere [Apr 2024]
Collaboration and communication is what makes science great, and it lays at heart of the Mackinder lab. This spring the York Physics of Pyrenoids Project (YP3) team organised a knowledge exchange retreat....
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Fame Lab competition (The pyrenoid in 3 minutes) [Apr 2024]
Communicating science to a non-specialist is not an easy task, let alone condensing it into an accessible 3 minute portion. This is the challenge in the popular contests of Fame Lab and...
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CNAP Science Day [Mar 2024]
Every year the Centre of Novel Agricultural Products gathers together to share the science and projects which were worked on last year and celebrate the people who make it possible. This year...
2023
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Lab vision day and Christmas meal 2023 [Dec 2023]
To finish off a very busy 2023 we spent a day in the Yorkshire Arboretum, where we participated in team building exercises, discussed our strengths as a group and workshopped ways we...
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Congratulations, Dr James Barrett! [Nov 2023]Huge congratulations to Dr James Barrett for successfully passing his PhD Viva! Well done, and good luck with the following career as a Postdoc!
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Mackinder lab at Plastid Preview 2023 [Sep 2023]
Finishing the summer conference seasons, we made our way to the historic city of Oxford, where, hosted in the beautiful New College (which actually is one of the oldest), we attended Plastid...
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European Phycological Congress (EPC8) [Jul 2023]
Every four years, the international phycological research community gathers for a congress. This time, we all met at the picturesque coastal city of Brest, located in western France. The meeting provided a...
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Molecular Life of Diatoms (MLD7) [Jul 2023]
This July, the world’s leading researchers of diatom molecular biology gathered at the Scripps Institute, San Diego. Onyou, Luke and Sabina have travelled across the pond and have presented our research in...
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Lab retreat [May 2023]
Laboratory work is the bread and butter of all the members of our lab. But sometimes science happens away too - like in the beautiful landscapes of the North Yorkshire Moors. In...
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Congratulations to our graduates! [Jan 2023]
Congratulations to Dr Christine Kwok and Caroline Mackenzie! We are really happy to be able to celebrate your graduation and good luck with the next stages of your career!
2022
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Christmas Social 2022 [Dec 2022]This Christmas season the Mackinder lab has taken an unconventional approach to celebrating the holidays and we tested our strength and precision by visiting a local axe-throwing establishment. We had plenty of...
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Robin Hood's Bay explorations [Sep 2022]
In September 2022, we visited one of the most beautiful spots on the Yorkshire coast for a lab away day. No rain could scare us, so we bravely set out to appreciate...
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Mackinder lab at Plastid Preview 2022 [Aug 2022]
At the end of summer we made our way to the beautiful city of Norwich to listen about all things plastid. We spent two fascinating day exploring chloroplast biology and meeting other...
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Mysteries at an abandoned house [Jul 2022]To celebrate the end of Herbie’s summer studentship we went for a thrilling adventure at an escape room. We searched for hints, clues, and wracked our brains cracking cyphers. And - most...
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Mackinder Lab at CCM10 held in Princeton, NJ, USA [Jul 2022]
Mackinder lab members attended the CCM10 meeting hosted by Jonikas lab at Princeton University (6-8th July 2022). The meeting focuses on photosynthetic organisms’ CO₂ concentrating mechanism. We truly enjoyed and learned a...
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Congratulations to Abi! [Jun 2022]Congrats from the Mackinder lab celebrating Abi and Dom’s civil partnership
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Mackinder Lab Pub Trip! [May 2022]We had lots to celebrate! Onyou’s new addition, Charlotte’s fellowship, James’s poster award and the internship students Sam and Hew are finishing their projects!
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Congratulations to Charlotte! [May 2022]
Charlotte Walker has just received a 4-year BBSRC Discovery Fellowship to pursue her work on the Chlamydomonas bestrophin-like proteins in the lab!
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Congratulations to James! [Apr 2022]James Barrett has won the BPS Student Poster Prize at the 70th BPS annual meeting held in Swansea, Wales. Excellent job, James!
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2021
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Lab walk followed by some hard earned beers at the pub! [May 2021]Finally we could go on a lab social. We did a local walk from the department through some beautiful Yorkshire countryside ending up at the pub for some food and drinks!
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Congratulations to Philipp! [Mar 2021]
Philipp Girr has just received a prestigious 2-year DFG Postdoctoral fellowship to pursue his work on the Chlamydomonas pyrenoid in the lab!
2020
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Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from the Mackinder Lab 2020! [Dec 2020](P.s. my New Year’s resolution is to up my lab news posting skills…)
2019
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Merry Christmas from the Mackinder Lab 2019! [Dec 2019]Merry Christmas from the algae lab AND the algae!
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Mackinder Lab hosts Plastid Preview 2019 [Sep 2019]
Plastid Preview 2019 was hosted by the Mackinder Lab in the University of York Biology Department. The meeting is focussed on photosynthetic organisms, their biology and how to study them. We had...
2018
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Merry Christmas from the Mackinder Lab [Dec 2018]We celebrated the Christmas season with a festive Italian meal, drinks at Brew York, Secret Santa and brilliantly illustrated Christmas Cards from our PhD student Christine. Thank you SO much everyone for...
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The Mackinder Lab Gets a Strike [Nov 2018]The Mackinder Lab rolled over to Tenpin York for some healthy competition on the alleys. We bravely opted for no barriers and achieved some spectacular gutter balls as a result! Some questionable...
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Lab Escape the Room [Apr 2018]The Mackinder Lab pitted itself against York’s Escape the Room. Team work, abstract thinking and perseverance paid off to get us out in a respectable 50:09 minutes.
2017
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Luke wins the 2018 SEB President's Medal for Cell Biology [Dec 2017]
Luke has been awarded the 2018 Society for Experimental Biology (SEB) President’s medal for Cell Biology. The SEB President’s Medals are awarded annually to young scientists of outstanding merit. This year’s awards...
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Lab ice skating trip [Nov 2017]A snowy afternoon saw the Mackinder Lab’s first Christmas Party - on Ice. After some close shaves and lots of laughs we warmed up with hot chocolate followed by some pub grub....