About Us

Principal Investigator

Chris H. Hill

Chris is a structural and molecular biologist with a background in X-ray crystallography, cryo-EM and RNA biology. He's interested in the regulation of viral gene expression -  particularly in how RNA viruses 'break the rules' when they execute their own genetic code. 

Postdoctoral Research Associate

Tim C. Passchier

Tim is originally from the Netherlands and joins us as a Wellcome-funded postdoctoral research associate with a broad background in structural and molecular virology gained at the Universities of Utrecht, Oxford, and Leeds. In the Hill lab he will be investigating virus-induced ribosomal recoding through structural and molecular approaches.

PhD student

Miguel Aracena Velazquez

Miguel is originally from Bolivia, but has lived most of his life abroad. He has a background in Biochemistry, and industry experience from his time at Oxford Nanopore Technologies. He is very excited to join the Hill Lab to begin his PhD project on investigating the structural and mechanistic basis of translation initiation in enteroviruses. Miguel is supported by the BBSRC White Rose Doctoral Training Partnership in Mechanistic Biology.  

PhD student

Jemma Betts

Jemma has a background in structural and molecular protein biochemistry. After working at UCL studying the structures of infectious prions, Jemma is very excited to join the Hill lab and begin her PhD, investigating RNA-protein interactions that stimulate programmed ribosomal frameshifting during viral infection. She is enthusiastic to apply her experience with cryo-EM to her PhD project. Jemma is supported by the MRC DiMeN Doctoral Training Program.  

Visiting Associate 

Lewis Chan

Lewis joined us in 2024/5 to work on ribosomes in collaboration with Sergey Melnikov's group at the University of Newcastle. He uses cryo-electron microscopy to understand how various bacteria preserve their vital machinery such as ribosomes during conditions of stress.

Visiting Associate 

Karla Helena Bueno 

Karla joined us in 2022/23 as part of a collaboration with Sergey Melnikov's group. Originally from the Dominican Republic, Karla has a background in microbiology from her studies at Michigan State University. She earned her PhD from Newcastle University, where she investigates the molecular mechanisms of ribosome hibernation in bacteria.