Meet the Team

Learn more about members of our team, Interdisciplinary Research and how to get involved!

We are a multidisciplinary, multinational lab filled with people with a passion for science. The Richter Lab was established in 2008 in San Sebastian, Spain, and moved to Leeds, UK, in 2016. Current lab members include postdocs, PhD students and more.

Ralf Richter

Principal Investigator

Trained as a physicist across Europe, I enjoy working with biologists, chemists and other physicists to address biological questions that are intractable with conventional methods.

Jennifer Barber

Research Assistant

I am tasked with producing HA-binding proteins. My background is in molecular biology, kicking off with a BSc in Medical Biochemistry from Leeds. Following an MRes in Pharmaceutical Sciences in Huddersfield, I developed Affimer reagents in industry (Avacta), before returning back to academia.

Ashleigh Goodenough

PhD Student

I studied Neuroscience at undergraduate level at Leeds and stayed on for my Masters and PhD. For my PhD in the Kwok and Richter labs I am defining the mechanical features of PNNs and how this relates to their function.

James Hooper

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

I am now studying lectin-glycan superselectivity. Prior to this I did an Integrated Masters in Chemistry, and a PhD on multivalent lectin-glycan binding, both at Leeds. When I am not in the lab, I enjoy going for a wander in the Yorkshire Dales or playing a tune or two on the clarinet.

Itzel Garcia Monge

PhD Student

I obtained my BSc in Physics in Mexico. My PhD research focuses on probing HA interactions with immune cell receptors under mechanical force.

Kalila Cook

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

I obtained a BSc in Physics at Leeds before going to King's College London to do my MSc in Physics, focussing on soft matter and biophysics. PhD studies on experimental and computation approaches for protein hydrogels brought me back to Leeds, and I am now working on the biophysics of complex HA-protein interactions.

Xiaoli Zhang

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

I obtained my PhD degree in biomedical materials at Queen Mary University of London, and joined the Richter Lab in 2020. My current project focuses on superselective cell targeting.

Jelizaveta Pavljuk

PhD student

I obtained a first-class honours MBiol, BSc Neuroscience (Industrial) degree and joined the Richter lab as a PhD student in October 2023. My project aims to understand how molecules travel through the carbohydrate-rich cell coat.

Erin Tait

PhD Student

I have an MSc in Chemistry from University of Bristol. My PhD project is joint between the Guo, Zhou and Richter Labs at Leeds. My research area is multivalent lectin-glycan interactions. A fun fact about me: I was the most improved (but still bad) trampolinist at the University of Bristol trampoline club.

Felecia Sutton

PhD student

I completed my Integrated Masters in Neuroscience at Leeds in 2023. In my PhD project, I use optical microscopy to understand the molecular assembly of perineuronal nets in the ageing brain. Outside of the lab, I enjoy cooking, yoga, and exploring the outdoors.

Emma Thompson

PhD Student

I am currently doing a PhD in Chemical and Process Engineering, joint between the Beales, Tyler and Richter Labs on hybrid membrane vesicles and their fractionation, characterisation, and interactions.