Micaela Chacόn – Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Micaela is a metabolic engineer and biochemist whose interested in re-tooling microbial platforms for efficient uptake and valorisation of complex feedstocks for the bioeconomy. She studied biochemistry in Canada, completing both her undergraduate degree and a master’s specialising in lipid biochemistry, before moving to the UK for a PhD at the University of Bath. Her doctoral work centred on microbial metabolic engineering for in vivo detoxification strategies to enable the production of value chemicals. She went on to hold postdoctoral positions at Bath and the University of Leeds, before joining the Dixon group at the University of Manchester.

Andrew Yiakoumetti – Postdoctoral Research Associate

Andrew is a postdoctoral researcher specialising in metabolic engineering for sustainable fuels and chemicals production. He has previously developed metabolic pathways to methacrylic acid and has engineered microbial strains compatible with stable continuous fermentation processes. He is now working on the SuCCEED Prosperity Partnership between the University of Manchester and Shell. Outside of work, he enjoys cooking and cycling.

Philip Le Roy – Postdoctoral Research Associate

Phil completed his undegraduate degree at Newcastle University in Biocehmistry with an industrial placement year at Prozomix, where he was first introduced to sustainable biotechnology. Following a short research project in the lab of Veronique Baud at Universite Paris Descartes he completed his PhD in the lab of Neil Dixon developing systems for the optimisation of transport, biosensing and production of organic acids in Pseudomonas putida. His current work investigates sustainable approaches to the biotechnological synthesis of pyridine and piperidine heterocycles. Outside the lab, he enjoys running, board games and spending time with his dogs.

Robson Tramontina – Postdoctoral Research Associate

Dr Robson Tramontina is a Research Associate in the Dixon group, working on the Centre for Innovative Recycling and Circular Economy (CIRCLE) project. A pharmacist with dual degrees from Brazil and the Netherlands, he also holds an MSc and PhD in Biotechnology from the University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Brazil, where he later completed a postdoctoral fellowship focused on biomass upcycling into high-value compounds.

Robson’s research focuses on consolidated enzymatic and microbial engineering of lignocellulosic biomass for efficient production of high-value chemicals, such as platform molecules and speciality compounds. His work focuses on advancing sustainable biomanufacturing and accelerating the circular bioeconomy by valorising biomass.

Outside the lab, Robson is a proud South American and Queer scientist who enjoys arts, crafts, and aerial activities. He values translational science, interdisciplinary collaboration, and innovation with measurable environmental impact.

Ana Gabriela Veiga Sepulchro – Postdoctoral Research Associate

Ana Sepulchro is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, University of Manchester. Her current research focuses on microbiome engineering, investigating how plasmid–chromosome crosstalk (PCC) influences plasmid-mediated horizontal gene transfer (HGT) and shapes gene spread within complex soil microbial communities. She holds a PhD in Synthetic Biology from the Technical University of Denmark and specialises in microbial synthetic biology and the development of novel genetic tools. Her broader research interests centre on advancing sustainable bio-based solutions through engineering microbial systems.

Tom Butterfield – 4th Year PhD Student

Tom joined the Dixon lab as an MSci student, investigating the genetic layout and regulation of polyester degrading operons. He continued to explore his interests in operon formation, computation detection of useful proteins, and general regulatory biology by pursuing a PhD in the Dixon lab. In his spare time, Tom enjoys cooking good food, photography, and fencing.

Bhumishree Bhumisuta Dehury – 3rd Year PhD Student

Bhumishree is a BBSRC-iCASE PhD student working on developing a genetic toolset in Rhodobacter sphaeroides in collaboration with Isobionics, a Netherlands-based company. Before the PhD, she worked on understanding the bacterial cell division proteins and their effect on evolution and antimicrobial resistance during her biology master’s at NISER, India, and a placement at the Max-Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology. Outside the lab, she likes to watch movies and try new foods from different cultures.

Lani Peel – 2nd Year PhD Student

Lani is a PhD student in the Dixon group. She completed her undergraduate degree in Biochemistry at the University of Manchester, where she gained experience in molecular biology and sustainable biochemistry. Her current work focuses on the use of genetic engineering to increase the valorisation of sustainable feedstocks and to implement biological routes into bacteria for the production of precursors to commodity chemicals. Outside of the lab, she loves spending time with her cats, Cisco and Mavis, and her dog, Betsy.

William Chipperfield – 2nd Year PhD Student

Will is a PhD student within the Dixon group on the SuCCEED prosperity project (BBSRC/UoM/Shell). His research involves metabolic engineering and strain development to generate organisms capable of producing commodities that are typically derived from non-renewable resources. Previously, he completed his MRes in Biotechnology and Biodesign at Newcastle University. Alongside his main project, he is also interested in alternative proteins and future foods produced by biotechnology. He is a keen hiker and also enjoys tinkering with embedded systems.

Connor Fitzgerald – 1st Year PhD Student

Connor is a first year PhD student working on engineering Pseudomonas putida to utilise lignin-derived aromatics as a feedstock to generate value-added products. He completed his undergraduate Biochemistry degree at the University of Bristol with an industrial placement year at a biotechnology company as part of this. Outside of work, he enjoys gardening and electronic music production.