Professor Paul M Cullis

Our research interests are in the field of chemical biology and are focused on investigating problems at the life sciences interface including:

• fundamental studies on enzyme reaction mechanisms
• development of new methods to control gene expression
• development of molecular probes to unravel cell signalling in both the malaria parasite and mammalian cells

• Control of the stereoselectivity of styrene epoxidation by cytochrome P450 BM3 using structure-based mutagenesis, W.C. Huang, P.M. Cullis, E.L. Raven, G.C. Roberts, Metallomics 2011, 3, 410-416.
• Internal electron transfer in multi-site redox enzymes is accessed by laser excitation of thiouredopyrene-3,6,8-trisulfonate (TUPS), Chemical Communications 2009,D.J. Heyes, A. Quinn, P.M. Cullis, M. Lee, A.W. Munro, N.S. Scrutton, 9, 1124-1126.
• Catalysis by the Isolated Tryptophan Tryptophylquinone-Containing Subunit of Aromatic Amine Dehydrogenase Is Distinct from Native Enzyme and Synthetic Model Compounds and Allows Further Probing of TTQ Mechanism, P. Hothi, M. Lee, P.M. Cullis, D. Leys, N.S. Scrutton, Biochemistry 2008, 47, 183-194.
• Probing the mechanism of transport and compartmentalisation of polyamines in mammalian cells, P.M. Cullis, R.E. Green, L. Merson-Davies, N. Travis, Chemistry & Biology 1999, 6, 717–729.
• Highly efficient synthesis of DNA-binding hairpin polyamides via the use of a new triphosgene coupling strategy, W. Su, S.J. Gray, R. Dondi, G.A. Burley, Organic Letters 2009, 11, 3910-3913.

• University Distinguished Teaching Fellowship 2020
• Merit Award (performance), University of Leicester, 2017
• Superstar Award (student nominated teaching award), Leicester Student's Union, 2017 and 2020
• Discovering Excellence (teaching and learning) Award Finalist, University of Leicester, 2016/17
• John Holloway Teaching Award (student nominated teaching award), University of Leicester, 2015/16
• Newton Fund/Researcher Links Award, British Council, 2016

• BSc (Oxford)
• DPhil (Oxford)