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Welcome to the Cochrane Lab!
Photo from Spring 2026: Front - The Bossman; Row 1 (L - R) - Dr Dmitry Vinnitsky (postdoc), Dr Justine Schwarte (postdoc), Dr Samantha Bann (postdoc), Dr Milandip Karak (postdoc); Row 2 (L - R) - Jonathan Cubitt (Phd, 2nd year), Lydia Papagora (PhD, 2nd year), Luke Tyrie (PhD, 1st year), Cian Cloonan (PhD, 3rd year); Row 3 (L - R) - Ella Donnelly (research associate), Mary Lagan (PhD, 3rd year), Ryan Brown (PhD, 1st year), Manon Trouche (visiting student).
We are a Medicinal Chemistry and Chemical Biology research group at Queen's University Belfast. We use the tools of organic synthesis and molecular biology to develop new antimicrobial compounds and create novel chemical probes to assay new antibiotic targets. Our current research interests includes the synthesis of novel antimicrobial peptides. This allows us to determine their bioactivity and how they exert their therapeutic effect. We also develop novel chemical probes to study how polyprenyl-targeting antibiotics work, and the mechanism by which enzymes process these essential glycopolymer building blocks.
For enquires about research positions available in the Cochrane lab, please contact Dr. Stephen Cochrane by email (s.cochrane@qub.ac.uk). This includes PhD studentships, postdoctoral positions, Level 4 undergraduate research projects and short-term placements.
