Senior Lecturer
- About
-
- Email Address
- a.lorenz@abdn.ac.uk
- Telephone Number
- +44 (0)1224 437323
- Office Address
The Institute of Medical Sciences (IMS)
School of Medicine, Medical Sciences & Nutrition
University of Aberdeen
Foresterhill
Aberdeen, AB25 2ZD
United Kingdom
Office: IMS, Room 4:20
Lab: IMS, Room 4:08
- School/Department
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition
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
Qualifications
- PhD Genetics2003 - University of Vienna, Austriawith distinction
- MRes Botany2000 - University of Vienna, Austriawith distinction
Memberships and Affiliations
- Internal Memberships
-
Foresterhill Biological Safety Committee: Chair (since January 2023), Biological Safety Officer (since January 2016), Member (since October 2014)
Member of the IMS BSc Review Workstream 4 - Workload (March - November 2022)
Programme Lead BSc Molecular and Cellular Biology (since May 2024)
- External Memberships
-
Since 2021: Honorary Treasurer of the Genetics Society.
Member of the following learned societies:
Associate Editor/Editorial Board Member: Critical Reviews in Microbiology, FEMS Yeast Research, Microbiological Research
Ad hoc reviewer for international research journals: Biomolecules; BMC Genomics; Cellular Microbiology; Chromosoma; Computational and Structural Biotechnology Journal; Current Genetics; Emerging Microbes & Infections; Evolution, Medicine & Public Health; FEMS Yeast Research; Folia Microbiologica; Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology; Frontiers in Microbiology; Fungal Biology; Fungal Biology Reviews; G3: Genes|Genomes|Genetics; Gene; Genes; Genetics; Genome; GERMS; Heliyon; Heredity; International Journal of Molecular Sciences; iScience; Journal of Cell Science; Journal of Fungi; Journal of Medical Microbiology; The Lancet Microbe; Microbiology Spectrum; Microorganisms; mSphere; Nature Communications; Nature Structural & Molecular Biology; Nucleic Acids Research; Open Biology; PLoS Genetics; PLoS ONE; PLoS Pathogens; Review Commons; Scientific Reports; Theoretical and Applied Genetics
Grant reviewer: Academia Sinica|Taiwan, ANR|France, BBSRC|UK, Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland|UK, ERA-CAPS|European Union, Israel Science Foundation|Israel, MRC|UK, NSF|USA, NWO|Netherlands, RGC of Hong Kong|China, SRDA-APVV|Slovakia, Wellcome Trust|UK
- Research
-
Research Overview
Research Areas
Research Specialisms
- Genetics
- Microbiology
- Mycology
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.
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
Supervision
My current supervision areas are: Biomedical Sciences.
Sakinah Alsayegh, PhD in Molecular Microbiology 2019-2024 "Morphogenetic switching and antimicrobial resistance in Candida auris"
Chloe Pelletier, PhD in Medical Mycology 2019-2023 "Stress response and virulence in Candida auris"
Inês Dias Rebelo, MRes in Molecular Biology 2018-2019 "Epigenetics and meiotic recombination in Schizosaccharomyce pombe"
Stefaniya T. Stoichkova, PhD in Microbiology 2017-2024 "Tools for the genetic manipulation of Candida auris"
Samantha J. Mpaulo, PhD in Genetics 2017-2021 "DNA double-strand break formation during meiosis"
Zoe K. Ross, MRes and PhD in Medical Mycology 2017-2020 "Genome analysis of and antimicrobial resistance in Candida auris"
Simon D. Brown, PhD in Genetics 2013-2017 "Meiotic recombination in Schizosaccharomyces pombe"
Additionally, I have supervised 9 undergraduate summer/internship students, 12 BSc Honours projects, 2 MSci Honours project, and 16 MSc/MRes degree projects.
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
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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
