Professor Paul Taylor

Profile

Paul Taylor grew up in West Yorkshire then studied Chemistry (BSc & PhD) at the University of Durham (1983-89). After 2 years as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Geneva, Paul moved to the University of Warwick in 1991, first as a Lecturer, then Senior Lecturer, then Reader. In 2007 Paul was appointed Director of the HEFCE funded Reinvention Centre for Undergraduate Research and then of Warwick’s Institute for Advanced Teaching & Learning (2010-14).

Paul was appointed Professor of Chemical Education at the University of Leeds in January 2015. He has acted as Director of Student Education for Chemistry (2015-17), Pro-Dean for Student Education for the Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences (2017-2021) and Dean for Student Education at university level (2021-23). Paul is currently Head of the Pedagogy & Scholarship of Chemistry Section, Programme Manager for Natural Sciences, Faculty lead for Partnership with students and a university Belonging Academic Lead. Paul is a National Teaching Fellow (2020).

Responsibilities

• Head of Section: Pedagogy & Scholarship of Chemistry
• Programme Manager: Natural Sciences
• Belonging Academic Lead

Research interests

The Evolutionary Origins of Neurotransmission: Eukaryogenesis is one of the great mysteries of modern science. Whereas most recent papers on the topic concern the prokaryotic origins of all eukaryotes, we are focusing instead on the ancestry of a single kingdom, the animals. Neurotransmission is in many ways the defining characteristic of animals, which are multicellular organisms that can sense changes in their environment and react quickly. Distinctive though neurotransmission is, it is not realistic to assume that all its components emerged suddenly in a particular ancestral animal. Indeed, homologs of many proteins involved in neurotransmission are found in plants and other eukaryotes as well as in many phyla of bacteria. Our current work concerns phylogenetic analysis of the archetypal machinery of neurotransmission, ionic glutamate receptors, calmodulin, and enzymes that biosynthesise neurotransmitters.

Molecular Nutrition: small molecules such as ergothioneine and phytosterols are widely believed to have positive health benefits. yet the molecular basis of their activities is poorly understood. We use combined bioinformatics, synthetic chemistry and chemical proteomics methods to probe the interactions of nutrients with the proteome.

Chemical Education: research on topics in research-based learning, including the impact of undergraduate research initiatives. Leadership in Higher Education.

Qualifications

• BSc Hons in Chemistry (Dunelm)
• PhD in Chemistry (Dunelm)

Professional memberships

• SFHEA

Research groups and institutes

• Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry

Current postgraduate researchers

• Jake Fowler