Joe Pollacco
Welcome
Welcome to my personal webpage. I am a probationary research student here at Oxford in the Department of Biochemistry on the BBSRC Interdisciplinary Biosciences DTP at St. John's College. I am based primarily in the Uphoff and Baker groups.
Previously, I completed my undergraduate degree in the university's Department of Physics at Pembroke College, specialising in Biological and Theoretical Physics. There is a summary of my research work below. You can find a more comprehensive record of my past education and work here (coming sometime...), or to some extent on my LinkedIn. Below there will also be a collection of links/resources that you may find use for.
You can get in touch by emailing me. If you're in Oxford and would like to meet up to discuss something in person, just get in touch.
I am currently a second year course representative for the Interdisciplinary Biosciences DTP. In this role, I bring student concerns to the DTP and DTC management termly. If you are part of the 2021-22 cohort, you can return feedback to me any time (though I hope your first knowledge of this isn't through my website!).
I am currently a second year course representative for the Interdisciplinary Biosciences DTP. In this role, I bring student concerns to the DTP and DTC management termly. If you are part of the 2021-22 cohort, you can return feedback to me any time (though I hope your first knowledge of this isn't through my website!).
Interests
My interests broadly lie in DNA damage in bacteria. Repair of bacterial DNA, its associated mechanisms, and how these mechanisms and associated responses are implicated in evolution of antibiotic resistance from a single cell level up to population wide resistance is of interest to me. I am particularly interested in building models across scales to inform our study of evolving antibiotic resistance, and spatial colony and biofilm structure. My DPhil project in particular will look at the SOS response and filamentation.Research History
So far, I have had the opportunity to work in several excellent and talented groups as I have refined my research interests. (2022-) DPhil student in the Uphoff lab and Baker Group. Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford. Supervisors: Prof. Stephan Uphoff, Prof. Philip Maini, Prof. Ruth Baker(2022) Rotation student in the Uphoff lab. Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford. Supervisor: Prof. Stephan Uphoff.
(2022) Rotation student in the Baker Group. Wolfson Centre for Mathematical Biology, Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford. Supervisors: Prof. Philip Maini, Prof. Ruth Baker.
(2020-2021) Master's project student in the Kapanidis and Louis labs. Department of Physics, University of Oxford. Supervisors: Prof. Achillefs Kapanidis, Prof. Ard Louis, Prof. John Doye.
(2020) Summer intern in the Schnorrer lab. University of Marseilles. Supervisors: Prof. Pierre Mangeol, Prof. Frank Schnorrer.
(2019) Summer intern at the Oxford Centre for Clinical Magnetic Resonance Research. John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford. Supervisors: Prof. Jack Miller, Prof. Ladislav Valkovic, Prof. Damien Tyler.
Detection of acetyl-carnitine in the human heart in vivo using long echo-time 1H-MRS at 3T Pollacco et al., Conference Proceedings of the International Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (2020).
This work received a Magna Cum Laude award (top 10% of peer review scores from trainee members).Oxford MPhys Major Option - C7: Biological Physics
Teaching
2021-Present I currently am a marker for the fourth year major option C7. In this role, I am responsible for marking students' work, providing corrections and advice, and informing the academics of the best questions to go through in the classes. In TT, I gave a revision class to the students with Yuanmin Zhang.Lecture Notes
In my fourth year, I made a set of notes for the course, which are available for now for use by future markers of the course to get up to speed. They are not currently available to students (sorry :-().Oxford MPhys - B7: Classical Mechanics
2023-Present I am currently responsible for B7 tutorials for Physics and Philosophy students at Pembroke College, Oxford. This involves marking and giving tutorials.Oxford MBiochem - Quantiative Biochemistry
Teaching
2022-Present I currently am a reserve tutor for the quantitative biochemistry course. In this role, I will assume classes on a transient basis for tutors who are unable to teach in a given week, teaching Mathematics.Oxford Interdisciplinary Biosciences DTP - Introduction to Programming
Teaching
2022 I was responsible for demonstrating for this short DTC course, which involved assisting first year DTP students in their python programming projects (mainly image analysis).BBSRC IB DTP PK Modelling Library
A three day project done in collaboration with various DTP coursemates, built to do simple pharmacokinetic analysis. Not exactly state of the art, but fun nonetheless.Current
I am currently MCR treasurer at St. John's College (2022-), as well as IT officer for Oxford University Gilbert and Sullivan Society (2020-, formerly publicity officer 2020-22 and treasurer in 2022).Previous
From November 2021 to May 2022, I was also the lead contact for the DTP's 'grand challenges' seminar organisation group "Nuclear Waste and Sustainable Energy", where we hosted an excellent seminar with Dr Peter Martin, Dr Thomas Davis, and Franklin Servan-Schreiber discussing the role of nuclear energy in future. I was lucky enough to work on this project with Cameron Anderson, Will Bowles, Joe Gilson, Jeanne Inchauspe, Zohar Katz, Emily Lacey, Elina Salminem & Jude Thom from the 2021 cohort, whose websites you can find linked on the DTP website - thanks everyone!Previously, I was president of Oxford University Karate Club (2019-21), and before that secretary (2018-29). In my undergraduate degree, I was a subject representative in Physics at Pembroke College (2018-19), and also sat on the college's student development committee.