Dr Alexander Lorenz

Biography

Since 2021: Senior Lecturer in Fungal Genetics; School of Medicine, Medical Sciences & Nutrition; University of Aberdeen, UK

2013-2021: Lecturer in Molecular Cell Biology; School of Medicine, Medical Sciences & Nutrition; University of Aberdeen, UK

2007-2013: Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, UK

2005-2007: Erwin Schrödinger-Fellow of the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) researching at the Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, UK

2003-2005: Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Department of Chromosome Biology, University of Vienna, Austria

1992-2003: Studying Botany and Genetics at the University of Vienna, Austria and at the University of Cologne, Germany

Research Overview

http://homepages.abdn.ac.uk/a.lorenz/pages/research.html

Past Research

Pelletier C, Shaw S, Alsayegh S, Brown AJP, Lorenz A (2024) Candida auris undergoes adhesin-dependent and -independent cellular aggregation. - PLoS Pathogens 20 (3): e1012076 (27pp.)

Bravo Ruiz G, Ross ZK, Gow NAR, Lorenz A (2020) Pseudohyphal growth of the emerging pathogen Candida auris is triggered by genotoxic stress through the S phase checkpoint. - mSphere 5 (2): e00151-20 (17pp.)

Brown SD*, Mpaulo SJ*, Asogwa MN, Jézéquel M, Whitby MC, Lorenz A (2019) DNA sequence differences are determinants of meiotic recombination outcome. - Scientific Reports 9: 16446 (10pp.) (*these authors contributed equally)

Bravo Ruiz G, Ross ZK, Holmes E, Schelenz S, Gow NAR, Lorenz A (2019) Rapid and extensive karyotype diversification in haploid clinical Candida auris isolates. - Current Genetics 65 (5): 1217-1228

Lorenz A, Mehats A, Osman F, Whitby MC (2014) Rad51/Dmc1 paralogs and mediators oppose DNA helicases to limit hybrid DNA formation and promote crossovers during meiotic recombination. - Nucleic Acids Research 42 (22): 13723-13735

Lorenz A, Osman F, Sun W, Nandi S, Steinacher R, Whitby MC (2012) The fission yeast FANCM ortholog directs non-crossover recombination during meiosis. - Science (New York, N.Y.) 336 (6088): 1585-1588

 Full Publication list with links to PDFs

Collaborations

Professor Alistair Brown, MRC Centre for Medical Mycology, School of Biosciences, University of Exeter, UK

Professor Neil A. R. Gow, MRC Centre for Medical Mycology, School of Biosciences, University of Exeter, UK

Dr Takashi Kubota, The Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, UK

Professor Adele Marston, Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell Biology, University of Edinburgh, UK

Dr Hajime Murakami, The Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, UK

Dr Bart Nieuwenhuis, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany

Professor Harry Scherthan, Bundeswehr Institute of Radiobiology affiliated with the Universität Ulm, Germany

Professor Matthew Whitby, Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, UK

Funding and Grants

02/2020-09/2020: Seed Corn Fund (with Prof Neil Vargesson) - Institutional Strategic Support Fund, Wellcome Trust

10/2019-10/2022: Award for a 3-year PhD-studentship - Kuwait Cultural Office UK, Ministry of Higher Education, Kuwait

10/2019-10/2022: MRC-CMM award for a 3-year PhD-studentship (with Profs Al Brown & Neil Gow) - MRC & University of Aberdeen, UK

02/2019-07/2019: Research Incentive Grant - The Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland

07/2018-01/2020: Seed Award in Science - Wellcome Trust

01/2018-01/2019: Research Grant - Tenovus Scotland (with Prof Neil Gow)

10/2017-10/2020: MRC-CMM award for a 3-year PhD-studentship (with Prof Neil Gow) - MRC & University of Aberdeen, UK

10/2017-10/2021: IMS award for a 4-year PhD-studentship (with Prof Neil Gow) - University of Aberdeen, UK

10/2017-10/2021: EastBio-DTP awards for two 4-year PhD-studentships (with Prof Adele Marston, University of Edinburgh) - BBSRC

06/2017-11/2017: Seed Corn Fund (with Prof Neil Gow) - Institutional Strategic Support Fund, Wellcome Trust

04/2017: One-off Meeting sponsorship (with Dr Isabelle Colas) for the 9th British Meiosis Meeting in Dundee - Genetics Society UK

06/2016-08/2016: G&D Summer studentship (for Ki Choi CHAN, University of York) - Genetics Society UK

01/2015-09/2015: Research Incentive Grant - The Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland

10/2014-10/2015: Research Grant - Royal Society

10/2013-10/2017: DTG award for a 4-year PhD-studentship - BBSRC & University of Aberdeen, UK

09/2013: Principal’s Excellence Fund - University of Aberdeen

07/2005-07/2007: Erwin Schrödinger-Fellowship - Austrian Science Fund (FWF)

10/1997-06/1998: ERASMUS/SOCRATES-scholarship - European Union

Teaching Responsibilities

Undergraduate Programme Co-ordination

BSc Molecular and Cellular Biology

Course Co-ordination

GN3502 - Genetics

Lecturing

MB3006 - Molecular Biology of the Cell: 'Cell Cycle & Cell Division' (Lectures, Tutorial)

GN3502 - Genetics: 'Mendelian Genetics', 'Chromosome Biology', 'Fungal Genetics' (Lectures)

MC3504 - Molecular Microbiology: 'Fungal Genetics and Biology' (Lectures)

MB4050 - Genome Organisation and Analysis: 'Genome Integrity - DNA Repair, Homologous Recombination, and Meiosis' (Lectures)

Practicals & Workshops

BI20M3 - Molecular Biology of the Gene: 'Restriction Analysis of DNA'

GN3502 - Genetics: 'Analysis of Meiotic Recombination'

GN3502 - Genetics: 'Pedigree Analysis'

Student Supervision

MB4502 - 'Molecular Biology Honours Research Project'

MB5904 - 'Masters Research Project'

Currently, lead supervisor of one PhD student, co-supervisor of two PhD students.

Non-course Teaching Responsibilities

Personal Tutor for 7 UG students in various degree programmes and at all levels

Member of 9-months and 24-months PhD student assessment panels