# Centre for Biological Timing
**Source**: https://sites.manchester.ac.uk/bio-timing/
**Parent**: https://www.bmh.manchester.ac.uk/research/institutes-centres/
## Centre for Biological Timing
Understanding the rhythms of life.
The University of Manchester is home to the largest biological timing research community in Europe. Led by Professor Robert Lucas, we bring together world-leading researchers with a multidisciplinary approach to cellular timers and circadian clocks.
Biological timing is a central feature of all living things. Driven by endogenous biological clocks, the ability to track time allows organisms to adapt their biology and optimally respond to the fluctuating environment of our planet.
Critical to this is the role of internal timers in coordinating innumerable cellular and physiological processes, which drive our development and biology, from gene expression to behaviour.
## Our research
Our research ranges from nocturnal and diurnal model organisms and understanding of fundamental molecular and cellular events, to clinical intervention into human diseases, including diabetes and inflammatory arthritis.
On this page:
1. [Research themes](#research)
2. [Our researchers](#researchers)
3. [Postgraduates and early career researchers](#pgr)
4. [Publications](#publications)
5. [Contact us](#contact)
## Research themes
### Internal homeostasis and clock mechanisms
Disturbance of circadian rhythms impacts negatively on our health and wellbeing. This recognition provides opportunity – by understanding how the circadian clock regulates our physiology, drives disease, and the outlook for using the clock to advance new therapies?
**Keywords:** Metabolism, cardiovascular physiology, immunology, methylation, tissue homeostasis, mathematical modelling.
### Clinical translation and multi-morbidity
Driving research in clock genes forward to address the gap in biomedical research and clinical practice.
**Keywords:** Fibrosis, asthma, inflammation, sleep.
### Brain, behaviour and environmental response
The ability to respond to rhythmic fluctuations in the environment caused by the earth’s rotation (such as light, colour, temperature, food availability) is critical for survival for most organisms on the planet. But how do we perceive these diverse temporal pat terns and then translate them into a rhythmic biology?
**Keywords:** Physiological responses to light, seasonal rhythms, optogenetics.
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## Our researchers
Find out more about how some of our researchers contribute to research in biological timing.
You can view a list of our researchers who work in each of our research areas.
##### Clinical translation and multi-morbidity
**John Blaikley**
Rhythms in fibrosis.
- [Visit John’s research profile.](https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/john.blaikley.html)
**Hannah Durrington**
Biological Timing mechanisms in asthma. Translational studies.
- [Read more about Hannah’s research.](https://sites.manchester.ac.uk/bio-timing/2022/07/04/dr-hannah-durrington/)
- [Visit Hannah’s research profile.](https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/hannah.durrington.html)
**Louise Hunter**
Glucocorticoids and the circadian clock in the control of metabolism.
- [Visit Louise’s research profile.](https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/louise.hunter.html)
**Gareth Kitchen**
Circadian rhythms in critical care, clock control of macrophage function.
- [Visit Gareth’s research profile.](https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/gareth.kitchen.html)
**David Ray**
Nuclear receptor and circadian clock biology regulation of inflammation and energy metabolism.
- [Visit David’s research profile.](https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/david.w.ray.html)
**Martin Rutter**
Sleep/chronotype and cardiometabolic disease.
- [Visit Martin’s research profile.](https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/martin.rutter.html)
##### Brain, behaviour and environmental response
**Tim Brown** (Lead)
Neural circuit mechanisms underlying circadian and light-dependent physiological responses.
- [Read more about Tim’s research.](https://sites.manchester.ac.uk/bio-timing/2022/07/04/professor-tim-brown/)
- [Visit Tim’s research profile.](https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/Timothy.Brown.html)
**Annette Allen**
WT Sir Henry Dale Fellow.
- [Visit Annette’s research profile.](https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/annette.allen.html)
**Bea Bano-Otalora**
Lecturer.
- [Visit Bea’s research profile](https://research.manchester.ac.uk/en/persons/beatriz.banootalora).
**David Bechtold**
Circadian controls of energy metabolism.
- [Visit David’s research profile.](https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/David.Bechtold.html)
**Mino Belle**
Senior lecturer.
- [Visit Mino’s research profile](https://research.manchester.ac.uk/en/persons/mino-belle).
**Andrew Loudon**
Circadian clock mechanisms and seasonal timekeeping.
- [Visit Andrew’s research profile.](https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/andrew.loudon.html)
**Robert Lucas**
Regulation of biological timing by light.
- [Visit Robert’s research profile.](https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/Robert.Lucas.html)
**Nina Milosavljevic**
Lecturer.
- [Visit Nina’s research profile.](https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/nina.milosavljevic.html)
**Juan Quintana**
Neuroimmune influences on sleep and circadian behaviour during chronic infections.
- [Read more about Juan’s research.](https://sites.manchester.ac.uk/bio-timing/2024/05/17/dr-juan-quintana/)
- [Visit Juan’s research profile.](https://research.manchester.ac.uk/en/persons/juan-quintana)
**Riccardo Storchi**
WT Sir Henry Dale Fellow.
- [Visit Riccardo’s research profile.](https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/riccardo.storchi.html)
##### Internal homeostasis and clock mechanisms
**David Bechtold** (Lead)
Circadian controls of behaviour, energy metabolism and cardiovascular physiology.
- [Visit David Bechtold’s research profile.](https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/David.Bechtold.html)
**Tim Brown**
Neural circuit mechanisms underlying circadian and light-dependent physiological responses.
- [Read more about Tim’s research.](https://sites.manchester.ac.uk/bio-timing/2022/07/04/professor-tim-brown/)
- [Visit Tim’s research profile.](https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/timothy.brown.html)
**Kathryn Else**
Immune regulation during parasitic helminth infection.
- [Visit Kathryn’s research profile.](https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/Kathryn.Else.html)
**Jean-Michel Fustin**
RCUK Future Leaders Research Fellow.
- [Read more about Jean-Michel’s research.](https://sites.manchester.ac.uk/bio-timing/2021/11/12/jean-michel-fustin/)
- [Visit Jean-Michel’s research profile.](https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/jean-michel.fustin.html)
**Julie Gibbs**
Exploring mechanisms underlying circadian control of immunity.
- [Visit Julie’s research profile.](https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/Julie.Gibbs.html)
**Matthew Hepworth**
Understanding how daily rhythms in the intestinal immune system regulate responses to the microbiota and infection.
- [Visit Matthew’s research profile.](https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/matthew.hepworth.html)
**Karl Kadler**
Tissue Homeostasis, collagen dynamics, and fibrosis.
- [Visit Karl’s research profile.](https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/karl.kadler.html)
**Andrew Loudon**
Circadian clock mechanisms and seasonal timekeeping.
- [Visit Andrew’s research profile.](https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/andrew.loudon.html)
**Qing-Jun Meng**
Circadian timing mechanisms in age-related diseases.
- [Visit Qing-Jun’s research profile.](https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/qing-jun.meng.html)
**Magnus Rattray**
Modelling and inference in biological systems.
- [Visit Magnus’ research profile.](https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/magnus.rattray.html)
**David Ray**
Nuclear receptor and circadian clock biology regulation of inflammation and energy metabolism.
- [Visit David Ray’s research profile.](https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/david.w.ray.html)
**Charles Streuli**
Circadian clocks in breast biology.
- [Visit Charles’ research profile.](https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/cstreuli.html)
#### Associated researchers
**Hilary Ashe**
Influence of gene expression timing and dynamics on cell fate decisions in the early embryo.
- [Visit Hilary’s research profile.](https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/hilary.ashe.html)
**Chiara Francavilla**
Molecular mechanisms underlying breast cancer progression and metastasis.
- [Visit Chiara’s research profile.](https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/chiara.francavilla.html)
**Shane Herbert**
Timing, robustness and coordination of cell identity decisions underpinning tissue morphogenesis.
- [Visit Shane’s research profile.](https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/shane.herbert.html)
**Judith Hoyland**
Professor of Molecular Pathology.
- [Visit Judith’s research profile.](https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/judith.a.hoyland.html)
**Tracy Hussell**
Professor of Inflammatory Disease.
- [Visit Tracy’s research profile.](https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/tracy.hussell.html)
**Pawel Paszek**
Inflammatory and immune cellular signalling networks.
- [Visit Pawel’s research profile.](https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/pawel.paszek.html)
**Andrew Sharrocks**
The mechanisms of signal-dependent transcriptional control.
- [Visit Andrew’s research profile.](https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/andrew.d.sharrocks.html)
27
Principal investigators
86
Research staff
41
PG research students
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## Featured researchers
Explore a snapshot of our incredible research activity and the people behind it.
Our Centre constantly strives to be the springboard for excellent scientists interested in biological timing to continue their career.
You can read more about our research and the people behind it in our blog, or by clicking on the links below.
[Researchers in focus](https://sites.manchester.ac.uk/bio-timing/category/researchers-in-focus/)
### Professor Tim Brown
Tim talks about his lab and research into how light and the visual environment influence brain function, physiology and behaviour.
[Read more about Tim.](https://sites.manchester.ac.uk/bio-timing/2022/07/04/professor-tim-brown/)
### Dr Hannah Durrington
Hannah talks about her lab’s research into biological timing and asthma.
[Read more about Hannah.](https://sites.manchester.ac.uk/bio-timing/2022/07/04/dr-hannah-durrington/)
### Professor Robert Lucas
Robert talks about his lab, the Lucas Group, and their research into responses to light.
[Read more about Robert.](https://sites.manchester.ac.uk/bio-timing/2021/11/12/robert-lucas/)
### Dr Jean-Michel Fustin
Jean-Michel talks about his lab and research into methyl metabolism and the biological clock.
[Read more about Jean-Michel.](https://sites.manchester.ac.uk/bio-timing/2021/11/12/jean-michel-fustin/)
### Professor Pierluigi Cocco
Pierluigi talks about his research into occupational health, and occupational and environmental epidemiology.
[Read more about Pierluigi.](https://sites.manchester.ac.uk/bio-timing/2022/04/19/professor-pierluigi-cocco/)
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## Postgraduates and early career researchers
Our research offers opportunities for postgraduate and early career researchers who are interested in what we do and want to further their research careers with us.
We are always happy to discuss potential projects with you. Please get in touch with us to discuss areas of interest with potential supervisors from the Centre.
**Potential fellowship enquiries**
Timothy Brown \
Email: [timothy.brown@manchester.ac.uk](mailto:timothy.brown@manchester.ac.uk)
**PhD enquiries**
Julie Gibbs \
Email: [julie.gibbs@manchester.ac.uk](mailto:julie.gibbs@manchester.ac.uk)
### Dr Joan Chang
**Research associate**
While in Karl Kadler’s lab, Joan contributed to understanding the circadian regulation of collagen fibril assembly. Her recent work demonstrated that a crucial step in this process is circadian endocytic-recycling of collagen, and she was awarded a UKRI MRC Career Development Award to continue her research in collagen trafficking control and coordination between different cell types in health and disease.
[Visit Joan’s research profile.](https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/joan.chang.html)
### Dr Nina Milosavljevic
**Early Career Research Fellow**
Nina’s interests lie in understanding the mechanisms underlying light effects on mood. Her previous work has demonstrated that light can have acute effects on mood and identified the key retinal cells involved. She now wants to apply her expertise in visual neuroscience to further investigate how visual environment affects how we feel, to identify the critical visual features and the underlying biological mechanisms.
[Visit Nina’s research profile.](https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/nina.milosavljevic.html)
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## Latest publications
Research published by our Centre cover a wide range of disciplines from fundamental molecular biology to clinical studies.
Explore a selection of our latest publications.
[See all publications](https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/projects/centre-for-biological-timing(ba98fba0-6e5a-49f6-a00f-89aa27599a6c)/publications.html)
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## Contact us
If you would like to know more about our research, please get in touch.
**Academic enquiries**
Contact: Rob Lucas \
Email: [robert.lucas@manchester.ac.uk](mailto:robert.lucas@manchester.ac.uk)
**Industrial partnerships**
Contact: Jennefer Adams\
Email: [jennefer.adams@manchester.ac.uk](mailto:jennefer.adams@manchester.ac.uk)
**Follow us on Twitter**
[@Time\_MCR](https://twitter.com/time_mcr)
[< Back to top](#intro)
#### Contact Us
+44 (0) 161 306 6000
#### Find Us
[The University of Manchester\
Oxford Rd\
Manchester\
M13 9PL\
UK](http://www.manchester.ac.uk/discover/maps/interactive-map/)
#### Connect With Us