Group members, names left-right, back row: Kathie Kaiser, Azeer Zafar, Sara Noraldeen and Abdulaziz Alrwaili; front row: Rosemary Kim, Janice Hou, Ana Lopez and Hannah Dunn

Meet the team

Team leader

Annica K. B. Gad

Dr. Annica K. B. Gad, of Swedish nationality, gained a M.Sc. in Molecular biology, Stockholm University, and a Ph.D. in Medical sciences/Pathology at Karolinska Institutet, Sweden. Dr Gad has worked and studied in Sweden, France, Italy, Portugal and the UK. She is employed as a Lecturer, equivalent to Assistant professor in the US, at the University of Sheffield, UK, and is also affiliated to the Madeira Chemistry Research Centre, CQM, University of Madeira, Portugal. Her main passion is to form creative learning and research environments in which collaborative, interdisciplinary research radically change and increases our understanding of the adhesive, mechanical and motile properties of cells in cancer, with a particular focus on fibroblasts and the intermediate filament proteins vimentin, and can be used for future development of anti-cancer treatments.

We are in the process of rebuilding the content of this page.

Postdoctoral Researcher

Rosemary Kim

A qualified pharmacist in South Korea, I completed an MSc and PhD in Genetics at the University of Sheffield.

I am interested in understanding mechanisms of cancer development including defects in DNA repair, hypoxia and changes in mechanical properties of cells. I am currently investigating how vimentin intermediate filaments regulate cancer metastasis.

PhD Student

Sarah C Macfarlane

I am a PhD student in the lab from the UK. I have a BSc in Biology from the University of Brighton and an MRes in Translational Oncology from the University of Sheffield. My research is focussed on using 2D and 3D co-culture models to investigate the role of cancer-associated fibroblasts in triple-negative breast cancer.

PhD Student

Janice SY Hou

Janice Sz-Ying Hou, Taiwanese, PhD student from Oncology and Metabolism, Project: How Fibroblasts Control Triple-negative Breast Cancer.

Postgraduate Researcher

Azeer Zafar

My name is Azeer Zafar and I am a Pakistani national however I have spent the major part of my time in Kuwait.

I completed my BSc in Biomedical Sciences from Kuwait University, Kuwait followed by my MSc in Medical Molecular Biology with Genetics from Bangor University, Wales.

I am currently a Postgraduate Researcher at the University of Sheffield in the Department of Oncology & Metabolism and I am interested in looking at the effects that physical properties have in the behavior and interaction of cells since most scientific studies tend to focus on the chemical properties of cells.

Research Associate

Ana Lopez

My name is Ana Lopez, and I am a Spanish biologist with a PhD in neurosciences. I work as a research associate and my research interests in mechanobiology are focused on the molecular mechanisms regulating cell traction forces in cancer as potential treatment targets.

PhD Student

Aziz Alrwaili

I am a PhD student and researcher of Saudi national; I have done my BSc in Biomedical science at the University of Wolverhampton and I hold an MSc in Biomedical science (Clinical Biochemistry and Immunology) from Coventry University.

In addition, I have two level 7 qualifications in entrepreneurship practise as well as in strategic management and leadership. My project at the University of Sheffield focuses on the molecular control of extracellular fibre mechanics on human cells.

Core Technician

Jessica Medcalf

Jessica Medcalf, Applied Bioscience BSc (currently undergoing), Core Technician.

Joseph Tonge

Joseph Tonge, British, BSc University of Sheffield, MBChB Medicine & Surgery University of Sheffield. Investigating role of Hyaluronan in the metastasis of child fibroblasts with reference to Infantile Fibrosarcoma.

MSc Student

Chloe Jenkins

My name is Chloe Jenkins and I am a British masters student with a BSc in Bioscience from The University of Suffolk. My project at the University of Sheffield looks at the relationship between the stiffness of the extracellular matrix and cancer-associated fibroblasts in triple negative breast cancer.

MSc Student

Sarah Cook

Sarah Cook, British, BSc in Biomedical sciences from Oxford Brookes, MSc (ongoing) in Translational oncology from University of Sheffield. Currently working on the role of vimentin in transformed fibroblasts.

Former ERASMUS Student

Khairat Al Hennawi

My name is Khairat. I am Syrian. I have a BSc in Pharmaceutical Sciences from King Saud University, Saudi Arabia and a MSc in Medical Pharmacology from the University of Mersin, Turkey.

Valentina Rossi

My name is Valentina Rossi and I am a Medical Biotechnologist from Veneto Institute of Oncology based in Padua, Italy. My research mainly focuses on the immuno-oncology field, in particular on the validation of novel tumor biomarkers and targets for adoptive cell therapy.

Postgraduate researcher