Nicola Dynes Email & Phone Number

Rolle, Vaud, Switzerland

Manager and chapter lead for an amazing team of Technical Product Managers, or Product Owners (POs) for the SOPHiA DDM Platform.

Saint-Sulpice, Vaud, Switzerland

Lausanne Area, Switzerland

Geneva Area, Switzerland

Epfl

I have been an active committee member since joining in 2013, and have held the posts of Treasurer (2014) and Vice-President (2015). As part of the committee, I represented life science postdocs at EPFL to the school and to external parties. I worked towards creating a community of life science postdocs through the organisation of social events (e.g. our annual summer barbecue), career events (e.g. Careers in Science Communication), and networking opportunities (e.g. Get to know the EPFL Innovation Park mini-symposium). I feel proud to have been part of such an enthusiastic, motivated, and successful team!My contributions:- Represented the SV Postdoc Association- Generated ideas for new events- Led and participated in small teams to design, organise, advertise and run events- Met with life science professionals- Designed and ran a skills workshop for postdocs- Fundraising- Prepared annual financial report- Participated and took minutes in our weekly committee meetings

Lausanne Area, Switzerland

I ran two main projects focussed on understanding the formation of the centriole, a nanometre-scale organelle that plays important roles in almost all of our cells. In order to understand the molecular mechanism of one of my proteins of interest, CPAP, I collaborated with researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute (Switzerland) and the University of Utrecht (The Netherlands), who are experts in structural biology and in vitro reconstitution assays, respectively. With my expertise in cell biology and in-depth knowledge of the field of centriole biogenesis, we worked as an interdisciplinary team to gain insight into how CPAP functions at a molecular level to regulate the growth of nanoscale rods called microtubules that form the structure of the centriole. Our findings were published in a well-respected peer reviewed journal.My contributions:- Planning, conducting, and analysing scientific experiments using two different model systems- Writing and editing manuscripts, coordinating work with colleagues to work to tight deadlines- Explaining plans and results to those with a different (or little) scientific background- Understanding techniques and data from different fields- Presenting results to international audiences- Managing technicians and students- Planning and running technical workshops

Clare Hall Laboratories, Cancer Research Uk London Research Institute

I focussed on understanding the role of a centrosomal protein, CEP63, in centriole duplication. Centrioles are tiny organelles that are found in almost all of the cells in our body, and function as the foundations for two different cellular structures: the cilium, and the centrosome. Cilia are essential for certain cell signalling pathways, and some cells have specialised motile cilia to help them perform their function, sperm cells are propelled by a cilium, for example. Centrosomes play a key role in organising microtubules within the cell, and therefore play an important role in cell division when the microtubule network is restructured in order to pull apart the two sets of chromosomes to form two identical daughter cells.During my studies, I discovered that CEP63 works together with another centrosome protein, CEP152, to form a base for the recruitment of factors that are essential for centriole duplication. My responsibilities included:- Design, planning, and execution of scientific experiments- Leading a collaboration and ensuring regular and efficient communication- Writing and editing manuscripts

Clare Hall Laboratories

During my PhD I worked with two different experimental systems (frog egg extracts and mammalian cells in culture) to understand the function of a protein called CEP63. At the outset, the function of CEP63 was completely unknown and during my studies I, and others, discovered that CEP63 was a key player in centriole duplication.My responsibilities and contributions:- Problem solving for my own project and as part of a team- Presenting my findings at national and international conferences, via talks and poster sessions- Introduced myself to a new field of research outside the expertise of the institute- Managed a productive collaboration with a group at the IRB, Barcelona- Hosted external speakers and organised student question and answer sessions- Designed and ran sessions for Cancer Research UK supporters to visit the lab and find out about current research- Learnt and mastered two new model systems, Xenopus laevis (frog) egg extract, and culture of mammalian cancer and primary cell lines

Mechanism of the archaeal DNA replication clamp loader, replication factor C (RFC).

Investigation of Monensin A biosynthesis.

Phd, Biochemistry And Cell Biology

Msci, Ma, Natural Sciences, Biochemistry, 1St Class

Activities and Societies: Biochemistry student representative, University Rugby team player, Inter-college league coordinator (rugby.