TEAM

Nathan Woodling

Principal Investigator

Pronouns: he/him
 
Nathan is a biogerontologist with a background in neuroscience and molecular genetics. He entered the field of ageing biology as a postdoc in the lab of Prof. Linda Partridge at the UCL Institute of Healthy Ageing in London. He received his B.S. in Biology and Neuroscience from Emory University, and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Stanford University.
Outside of the lab, Nathan enjoys board and card games (the more complex the better), yoga, and spending time with his husband and their French Bulldog Frodo.
 
Theme song: Pump up the Jam by Technotronic
Favourite season: Pumpkin Spice
Favourite Drosophila mutant: jelly belly
Favourite lab equipment: Number “0” paintbrush
 
ORCID
​Email: [email protected]
​

Kriti Gupta

Post-doctoral research associate

Pronouns: she/her
 
Kriti is a postdoctoral research associate in the lab trying to decipher the role of receptor tyrosine kinase signalling in Drosophila ageing. Kriti started her scientific journey in the field of gerontology as a Ph.D. student at the Indian Institute of Science and contributed toward discovery of a novel pro-longevity gene in Drosophila through her research. She then joined the lab of Dr. Natalia Sanchez-Soriano at the University of Liverpool to study the mechanisms underpinning neuronal aging. Changing gears a little bit, Kriti then joined SITraN and worked with ALS-associated patient iPSCs and iNPCs to understand the link between exercise and MND. Kriti’s research interest lies in targeting the pro-longevity genes to increase the health span in various neurodegeneration models.
Outside of the lab, Kriti enjoys knitting, going to cinema, exploring new eateries and cafes, art and craft, binge-watching K-dramas, cooking, and playing badminton. 
 
Theme song: I like me better when I’m with you by Josh Wall
Favourite season: Spring and Autumn (love the beautiful display of colours by nature)
Favourite Drosophila mutant: lush
Favourite lab equipment: Fluorescence microscope
 
​ORCID  Linkedin
Email: [email protected]
​

Shannon Gilchrist

Post-doctoral research associate

Pronouns: she/her
 
Shannon is a post-doctoral research associate with a background in inflammation and dementia research. Shannon started her scientific journey completing a PhD at the University of Portsmouth looking into the inflammatory response in glial cells. She then had research roles in Strathclyde University looking at a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease, followed by a post at Glasgow University investigating the link between TBI and dementia. She now continues her research career in our lab, studying how age-related genes associated with Alzheimer’s disease alter lifespan in a Drosophila model of amyloid-beta toxicity.
​Outside of the lab, Shannon is an avid reader and writer of fantasy novels. She enjoys spending time with her family and using any excuse to get out of the city. 
 
Theme song: Manic Monday by The Bangles
Favourite season: Autumn
Favourite Drosophila mutant: julius seizure
Favourite lab equipment: Confocal microscope
 
ORCID  Linkedin
Email: [email protected]
​

Caroline Millet

Technician

Pronouns: she/her

​Caroline has a background that crosses many experimental approaches and model systems. During her PhD at the Institute de Génétique Humaine in Montpellier, she cloned a human ortholog of a Drosophila gene (an extracellular antagonist of the TGFb pathway) and characterised its alternative splicing variants, its expression in human embryo, and its activity using model organisms (Xenopus embryo and Drosophila). Then, at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, she identified a crosstalk between the TGFb pathway and glycogen synthase kinase 3. She also investigated how budding yeast (S. cerivisiae) adapts to telomerase insufficiency at the University of Edinburgh, and in more recent work, she investigated mitochondrial function in ageing fish and birds at the University of Glasgow. In the Woodling lab, she manages the technical aspects of the lab, and she also works on research projects related to the roles played by receptor tyrosine kinase signalling in healthy ageing.
Outside of the lab, Caroline enjoys dancing socially (Argentinian tango), and she has been learning to play bass viol for a few years.
 
Theme song: Walk of Life by Dire Straits  
Favourite season: Spring
Favourite Drosophila mutant: Indy (I'm not dead yet)
Favourite lab equipment: Eppendorf PIPETMAN® pipettes

​Publications
Email: [email protected]
​

Alistair Ozzie Gemmell

NorthWest Bio PhD student

Nickname: Oz
Pronouns: he/him, they/them
 
Alistair is PhD student of the NorthWest Bio programme which brings together the Woodling lab with the lab of Professor Gail McConnell of the University of Strathclyde. His research primarily focuses on imaging, investigating, and characterising how tissue changes with age within Drosophila melanogaster. This work utilises the cutting-edge mesolens technology developed in Strathclyde University, with the hopes to understand how ageing influences and alters tissue architecture through time.
Outside of the lab, Alistair enjoys a wide array of creative ventures; from digital art, to painting, to crochet, to knitting, to sewing, to creative & scientific writing. Embodying a true “jack-of-all-trades”, he just can’t seem to find himself with idle hands- even doodling in the back of his lab book whenever there’s a spare moment to be had!

Theme song: Not Dead Yet by Lord Huron
Favourite season: Spring
Favourite Drosophila mutant: tinman & scarecrow (sadly, no lion)
Favourite lab equipment: Drosophila Activity Monitors (DAMs)
 
Link to science and artwork blog
Email: [email protected]

​

LAB ALUMNI

Taylor McGilvary

Technician, 2024-26

Pronouns: he/him
 
Taylor is a technician working on several projects related to receptor tyrosine kinases and ageing. He has a core background in Medical Sciences but more recently, Cancer Biology, having pursued an MRes degree at Imperial College London which involved researching within partnering institutes and labs focusing on cancer. He is particularly interested in the aged tissue microenvironment and how the signalling pathways therein could be modulated to both increase healthy longevity and alter the onset/progression of age-related diseases like cancer.
Outside of the lab, Taylor is a self-taught Japanese student and enjoys travelling, visiting speciality coffee shops (of course drinking a lot of coffee in the process) and generating the motivation to run the occasional marathon.
 
Theme song: Where Our Blue Is by Tatsuya Kitani
Favourite season: Autumn
Favourite Drosophila mutant: Mutants of the Halloween genes (haunted, phantom)
Favourite lab equipment: Dissection microscope (and particularly sharp forceps)

Suchismita Mazumdar

MRes Student, 2025

Pronouns: she/her
 
Suchi is an MRes Biomedical Sciences student specialising in neuroscience. She is interested in studying signalling pathways implicated in neurodegeneration and their impact on neurological disease progression. In the Woodling Lab, her work investigates how modulating receptor tyrosine kinases in Drosophila can extend lifespan and maintain healthy behaviours during ageing.
Outside the lab, Suchi loves travelling, immersing herself in books with a warm cup of coffee, and experimenting with different recipes in the kitchen.

​Theme song: Enemy by Imagine Dragons and JID
Favourite season: Winter
Favourite Drosophila mutant: ken and barbie
Favourite lab equipment: Fluorescence microscope

Matt McCaul

MSci Student, 2024-25

Pronouns: he/him
 
Matt is an MSci Molecular Biosciences student (Genetics speciality) with an enduring interest in ageing biology, particularly in research focused on healthspan extension. In the Woodling Lab, his work within Drosophila models investigates metabolism-regulating signalling pathways as modulators of healthy lifespan.
Outside of the lab, Matt enjoys reading (often fantasy, science-fiction, and horror), writing (within the same genres), and running table-top, role-playing games (many, but most-often Pathfinder, Cyberpunk RED, and Chronicles of Darkness). He is an avid hiker, lover of nature, and life-long pluviophile.
 
Theme song: Light of the Seven', by Ramin Djawadi
Favourite season: Autumn. For the rain, the cold, and the gloom.
Favourite Drosophila mutant: hamlet (IIb, or not IIb?)
Favourite lab equipment: The optical microscope (the gateway into science)
​

Callum Poole

Carnegie Trust Summer Student, 2024

Pronouns: he/him

Callum is a 3rd going 4th year genetics student with an interest in the bioinformatic and data side of the degree. As well as bioinformatics the genetics behind aging also greatly interests him, with this being the primary focus of the summer lab.
Outside of the lab, Callum enjoys long walks in the highlands, specially Munro bagging, as well music and good food. 
 
Theme song: Mr Blue Sky
Favourite season: Winter
Favourite Drosophila mutant: Indy
Favourite lab equipment: Florescent Microscope ​