Professor Claire Eyers FRSC

Winner: 2022 Chemistry Biology Interface Division mid-career Award: Jeremy Knowles Award

University of Liverpool

For the development and application of novel mass spectrometry-based analytical strategies to discover, identify and quantify dynamic biomolecular post-translational modifications.

Celebrate Professor Claire Eyers

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Incredibly honoured and excited that the science my team has been working on for so many years has been recognised by this prestigious award.

Professor Eyers’ team use analytical chemistry strategies, specifically based around a technique called mass spectrometry, to explore the protein components of cells and tissues.

Mass spectrometry is a sophisticated strategy for determining mass, which the team use to work out the amount and sequence of proteins from biological, environmental or clinical samples. They develop different ways of using this technique to understand how biological systems respond to their environment or change as a result of disease. By defining changes in cellular protein profile under different conditions, the team can devise strategies to exploit these for therapeutic intervention, to develop hypotheses to understand biological drivers, or to use as markers of disease.

Read winner biography

Claire Eyers is Professor of Biological Mass Spectrometry in the Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology at the University of Liverpool. She is also Director of the Centre for Proteome Research (CPR), and Associate Pro Vice Chancellor (research and impact) for the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences.

Professor Eyers obtained a PhD (2002) in biochemistry from the University of Dundee (Professor Sir P Cohen) and undertook postdoctoral studies at the University of Colorado, Boulder (Professor N Ahn). She then moved to the Michael Barber Centre for Mass Spectrometry, University of Manchester (Professor S Gaskell), where she became acting director (2009–2013). Her research exploits biophysical and biochemical methodologies to understand the structure and relevance of post-translational modifications (PTMs) and their roles in regulating cellular signalling in health and disease.

Claire has established expertise in the development of mass spectrometric (MS) based methods, and exploits separation technologies, including ion mobility spectrometry (IMS), for the structural investigation of proteins and the effects of PTMs and ligand binding.

Her awards include an independent American Heart Association (AHA) fellowship (for which she received an AHA prize), a Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship (2007–11), and she was named on the 2021 Analytical Scientist Power List Top 100. Claire is an active member of the BBSRC community having recently stepped down as chair of committee D, and currently serves as chair of the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (IUBMB) nominating committee. As an active STEM ambassador and mentor, Claire often shares her experiences in manging the fine balance between work and home life.

Q+A

How did you first become interested in chemistry?

When I was eight, I did a project for school about herbs and how they can be used to treat people. I got really interested in the idea that things that grow around us can actually be used to help us, or harm us, but nature is complicated.

What motivates you?

Discovering things that nobody else has observed before and trying to understand what that means in the context of biology. Also, seeing a student finally understand what you have been trying to explain to them; it’s a ‘lightbulb moment’.

Can you tell us about a scientific development on the horizon that you are excited about?

We made a discovery a few years ago that proteins in cells can be modified by phosphorylation in ways that we were previously unaware of. Mechanisms for characterising the type and extent of protein modification are progressing rapidly and it is opening up our understanding of protein biochemistry. I don’t think we yet fully appreciate how many forms of a protein there are in cells or what their different roles are – I think this is a very exciting time.

Why is chemistry important?

Chemistry underpins every aspect of our lives – from how plants grow to how our bodies function, the technologies that we use in our everyday lives, the materials that we wear and that are used in the buildings in which we live and work, and of course the energy that we use.

What does good research culture look like/mean to you?

Recognising the strengths of different team members and appreciating that people need different types of levels of support to fulfil their potential.

What is your favourite element?

Phosphorous – it is essential for so many aspects of biochemistry, from our DNA to energy stores, to regulating the functions of the proteins that relay the signals in our cells.