Senior Lecturer
- About
-
- Email Address
- sam.miller@abdn.ac.uk
- Telephone Number
- +44 (0)1224 437484
- Office Address
Office 5.25, SMMSN, IMS building, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD
- School/Department
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition
Internal Memberships
Academic Lead Postgraduate Research (IMS)
Deputy Lead IMS Health and Safety Co-ordinator
- Research
-
Research Overview
I am currently a senior lecturer in the Institute of Medical Sciences. I am a biochemist and molecular biologist working with bacteria in the Microbiology Programme of SMMSN. My research focusses on bacterial ion channels and transporters. These specialised membrane proteins help bacteria survive their environment. I investigate the molecular mechanisms of these proteins and how to use this knowledge to inhibit bacterial cell growth.
Research Areas
Accepting PhDs
I am currently accepting PhDs in Biomedical Sciences.
Please get in touch if you would like to discuss your research ideas further.
Research Specialisms
- Biotechnology
- Biochemistry
- Microbiology
- Bacteriology
Our research specialisms are based on the Higher Education Classification of Subjects (HECoS) which is HESA open data, published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
Collaborations
Prof. I. R. Booth (Aberdeen), Dr T.Rasmussen (Aberdeen), Dr A. Moura (Aberdeen), Prof. J. Naismith (St. Andrews), Prof. S. Conway (Oxford), Prof. B. Poolman (Groningen), Prof. Z. Ignatova (Pottsdam), Prof. C. Grebogi (Aberdeen), Prof. J. Banga (CSIC), Dr J. Yates (AstraZeneca), Dr. A. Valleriani (MPIKG), Prof. R. Bovenberg (DSM)
Funding and Grants
Marie Curie Initial Training Networks (ITN) Call: FP7-PEOPLE-2011-ITN (awarded 2011) ‘NICHE’ Network for Integrated Cellular Homeostasis. This grant brings together 8 partners from 6 academic institutions across Europe and 3 industrial partners to create a training network that will fund 11 PhD students and 2 Postdoctoral workers. My position on this proposal is Assistant Coordinator, also with responsibility for the training programme.
Medical Research Scotland Vacation Scholarship (awarded 03/2011) for Mr Vojtech Prazak (1st year undergraduate University of Aberdeen), funding for 8 weeks summer project 2011. Structure-Function studies of critical gating residues in mechanosensitive channels
Wellcome Trust Programme Grant Renewal (awarded 07/2010). Principal Applicant Prof. Ian Booth. Coapplicant (1) Prof. J.H. Naismith, (St. Andrews), Coapplicant (2) Dr S. Conway (Oxford), Coapplicant (3) Dr S. Miller, Coapplicant (4) Dr T. Rasmussen, Coapplicant (5) Dr M.D. Edwards.Molecular mechanisms of gating ion channels and transporters in bacterial homeostasis. 01.01.11-31.12.16
BBSRC Research Grant (awarded 06/10) Principal Investigator 01.07.10-30.06.15 Conformational states of membrane proteins: Technology development for bioscience
SFC (SULSA pool) Summer Studentship (with Morgiane Richard and A. Moura) for Aljosa Sarcevic from 31/05/10 for a 10 week project ‘Model of a Toxic metabolic Switch: Production of Methylglyoxal by Gram-Negative Bacteria’
BBSRC (SysMo Initiative). Awarded March 2007. Principal Investigator Professor I.R. Booth, Co-Investigators; Dr S.Miller, Professor C. Grebogi and Dr A. Moura (University of Aberdeen): 01.06.07-01.06.10 Ion and Solute Homeostasis in Enteric Bacteria (Kosmobac)
Wellcome Trust Programme Grant Renewal (awarded 2005). Principal Applicant Professor I.R. Booth, Coapplicant (1) Dr S. Miller, Coapplicant (2) Dr M.D. Edwards January 2006-December 2011. Gating of bacterial transporters and ion channels in cellular homeostasis
Royal society Conference Award 2005
MRC New Investigator Award (awarded 2004) July 2005-2008 Biogenesis and Structure-Function analysis of the MscS Mechanosensitive Channel in Escherichia coli.
- Teaching
-
Teaching Responsibilities
Course Co-ordinator MC3504 Molecular Microbiology
- Publications
-
Page 2 of 4 Results 11 to 20 of 39
Mechanosensitive channels and bacterial cell wall integrity: does life end with a bang or a whimper?
Journal of the Royal Society Interface, vol. 11, no. 91, 20130850Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2013.0850
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/3427/1/Bang_or_whimper.pdf
Integrated stress response of Escherichia coli to methylglyoxal: transcriptional readthrough from the nemRA operon enhances protection through increased expression of glyoxalase I
Molecular Microbiology, vol. 88, no. 5, pp. 936-950Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/mmi.12234
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/3439/1/integrated_stress_response.pdf
Characterization of three novel mechanosensitive channel activities in Escherichia coli
Channels, vol. 6, no. 4, pp. 272-281Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.4161/chan.20998
Optimality in DNA repair
Journal of Theoretical Biology, vol. 292, pp. 39-43Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtbi.2011.08.024
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/3183/1/JTB.pdf
KefF, the regulatory subunit of the potassium efflux system KefC, shows quinone oxidoreductase activity
Journal of Bacteriology, vol. 193, no. 18, pp. 4925-4932Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1128/JB.05272-11
Sensing bilayer tension: bacterial mechanosensitive channels and their gating mechanisms
Biochemical Society Transactions, vol. 39, no. 3, pp. 733-740Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1042/BST0390733
A matter of life or death: modeling DNA damage and repair in bacteria
Biophysical Journal, vol. 100, no. 4, pp. 814-821Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpj.2010.12.3713
Collective response of self-organized clusters of mechanosensitive channels
Physical Review. E, Statistical, Nonlinear and Soft Matter Physics, vol. 83, no. 2, 020901(R)Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.83.020901
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/2259/1/PhysRevE.83.020901.pdf
The critical role of S-lactoylglutathione formation during methylglyoxal detoxification in Escherichia coli
Molecular Microbiology, vol. 78, no. 6, pp. 1577-1590Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2958.2010.07426.x
Mechanism of ligand-gated potassium efflux in bacterial pathogens
PNAS, vol. 107, no. 46, pp. 19784-19789Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1012716107