Dr Rosalyn Masterton

Rosalyn is the Practical and Demonstrator Co-ordinator in the School of Biosciences and the Centre Manager and Administrator for the Industrial Biotechnology Centre (IBC). In her role, she teaches practical laboratory skills, delivers laboratory support to practical classes and undergraduate/postgraduate taught research students, improves and develops new practicals and line manages the postgraduate demonstrators.

Before this role, Rosalyn was the laboratory manager of the Centre for Molecular Processing and a post-doctoral scientist in the School of Biosciences. After a Molecular and Cellular Biology Degree at the University of Kent, she completed her MSc in collaboration with Pfizer at Sandwich in the UK. This was followed by a PhD in Biochemistry and then postdoctoral research at the University of Kent.

Her research interest is focused around the bioprocessing area in improving recombinant protein production from in vitro cultured mammalian cells, with projects focused on identifying the cellular limitations with regard to recombinant protein production. This covers a range of areas, skills and topics, and both genomic (proteomic) and more targeted molecular biology approaches are used to investigate and identify the key limitations upon productivity. 

Rosalyn's post-doctoral research involved identifying and manipulating key control points and participants of the recombinant protein synthesis and assembly pathway, particularly within the ER, within the context of limitations on recombinant protein productivity. During her PhD, she investigated the effects of cold-shock on in vitro cultured mammalian cells and showed that sub-physiological temperature culturing cannot only improve recombinant protein yields but also facilitate improved protein folding and activity. Before this, she completed her MSc in collaboration with Pfizer at Sandwich in the UK where she developed techniques (chiefly mass spectrometry) to dissect the phosphorylation of the protein PHAS-I.

In 2011, she completed the PGCHE and has achieved the status of Fellow of the Higher Education of Academy.

Undergraduate 

• BI305 Human Biology 
• BI525 Investigation of Disease   
• BI532 Skills for Bioscientists 2 
• BI600 Final year project 
• BI602 Cell Signalling 

Postgraduate 

• BI851 Advanced Molecular Processing for Biotechnologists and Bioengineers 
  
• BI852 Advanced Analytical and Emerging Technologies for Biotechnology and BioEngineering (Convener).

Rosalyn is the trade coordinator for the European Society of Animal Cell Technology (ESCAT-UK) http://www.esactuk.org.uk/ and a STEM ambassador.