CATS Faculty Technical Manager

My background is in immune cell signal transduction. I have over 15 years of experience working in this field in both industry and academia.

As a member of the CATS Faculty Executive Group, my core responsibility is to enable the CATS Faculty to deliver on its objectives.

I currently oversee the management of resources, along with technical and administrative staff, across four schools of the CATS Faculty, which cover multiple sites at the University of Bedfordshire.

I possess experience in change management.

I am a member of the Faculty Academic Board. I continue to provide H&S advice to both Faculty and University. In addition to chairing both the School of Life Science's H&S Committee and Biologicals and GM Committee, I represent the Faculty on the University’s H&S board. I also act as an advisor to the University H&S Department due to my background and expertise in Biological safety and Human Tissue Act legislation.

I possess project management experience having been involved in the creation and refurbishment of laboratories and specialist science space, with my most recent achievement the delivery of the University's STEM building.

As a STEM Ambassador, I continue to provide help and advice to young people thinking about embarking on a science career and continue to arrange and support outreach events.

Qualifications

• BSc Honours in Biochemistry from Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine
• PhD from the National Institute for Medical Research

Teaching Expertise

• Health and Safety lectures for University of Bedfordshire science students
• Delivery of undergraduate and postgraduate practicals to students on science courses at the University of Bedfordshire
• Practical taster sessions to students (age 9-18) through outreach activities

Research Interests

My background is in immune cell signal transduction, investigating how proteins interact with each other to communicate signals within a cell to elicit an effect.

I have 15 years' of experience of working in this field in both industry and academia. I continue my research interests within the School, working with Professor Jan Domin.

External Roles

• STEM Ambassador
• Member of the British Society for Immunology
• Member of the Institute of Science and Technology
• Member of the Eastern Region Technical Managers network

Publications

• Anti-Epileptic Effect of Ganoderma Lucidum Polysaccharides by Inhibition of Intracellular Calcium Accumulation and Stimulation of Expression of CaMKII α in Epileptic Hippocampal Neurons. Wang SQ, Li XJ, Qiu HB, Jiang ZM, Simon M, Ma XR, Liu L, Liu JX, Wang FF, Liang YF, Wu JM, Di WH, Zhou S. PLoS One. 2014 Jul 10;9(7):e102161. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0102161. eCollection 2014.
• A role for the RNA pol II-associated PAF complex in AID-induced immune diversification. Willmann KL, Milosevic S, Pauklin S, Schmitz KM, Rangam G, Simon MT, Maslen S, Skehel M, Robert I, Heyer V, Schiavo E, Reina-San-Martin B & Petersen-Mahrt SK 2012. J Exp Med 209, 2099-2111.
• Linking AID to DNA repair via direct PCNA interaction. Katharina Willmann*, Don-Marc Franchini*, Maria T. Simon*, Heather Coker, Noureddine Zebda, Gopinath Rangam, and Svend K. Petersen-Mahrt. (* Joint first authors). Manuscript in progress.
• AID in Immunodeficiency and Cancer in “DNA deamination and the Immune System”. Katharina Willmann, Sven Kracker, Maria T. Simon, Don-Marc-Franchini, Pauline Gardes, Anne Durandy, and Svend K. Petersen-Mahrt. 2010. Ed. Sebastian Fugmann, Marilyn Diaz and Nina Papava-siliou, Imperial College Press, London.
• Constitutive activation of the Wnt/b-catenin signalling pathway in acute myeloid leukaemia. Simon, M., Grandage, V.L., Linch, D.C., and Khwaja, A. (2005) Oncogene, 24, pp.2410-2420
• Distinct roles for the linker region tyrosines of Syk in FceRI signaling in primary mast cells. Simon, M., Vanes, L., Geahlen, R.L, and Tybulewicz, V.L.J. (2004) J. Biol. Chem. Vol 280, No. 6, pp.4510-4517

Contact Details

E: maria.simon@beds.ac.uk
T: +44 (0)1582 489183 (Internal ext. 9183)