Dr Marco Purbhoo

Marco Purbhoo is a Non-Clinical Lecturer in Hepatology within the Department of Medicine at Imperial College London.

Dr Purbhoo obtained his undergraduate degree in Biochemistry and his D. Phil. in Clinical Medicine from the University of Oxford. Dr Purbhoo undertook Post-doctoral work at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at Stanford University where he investigated the molecular processes underlying T cell activation and antigen recognition, using advanced fluorescence imaging techniques. As a post-doctoral scientist in the Division of Cell and Molecular Biology at Imperial College London, Dr Purbhoo continued to specialize in the application of imaging techniques to investigate processes within immune cells, with particular focus on novel long-distance cell-cell contacts and signal transduction events amongst lymphocytes.

Dr Purbhoo was appointed Lecturer in the Department of Medicine in September 2008. His research focuses on imaging molecular events during immune responses and infection, with particular emphasis on the imaging of viral dysregulation of T cell function, and the mechanisms underlying cell-to-cell spread of Hepatitis viruses.

Dr Purbhoo lectures on the 2^nd year Immunology course for Biology and Biomedical Sciences undergraduates, the MSc course in the Molecular Biology and Pathology of Viruses, and the Gastroenterology and Hepatology module for medical BSc students (year 4 Medicine). He has recently obtained a Certificate in Advanced Studies in Learning and Teaching, and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Agency.

Dr Purbhoo supervises BSc students, MSc students, and Academic Clinical Fellows (ACF) in his laboratory. Students interested in pursuing a PhD using cutting-edge imaging technologies to investigate processes in immunity and infection are most welcome to contact Dr Purbhoo and enquire about the exciting projects on offer within his laboratory.

Dr Purbhoo's research is funded by the Wellcome Trust.