
Dr Sophie E Acton (Pinner)
ORCID ID: 0000-0003-2704-716X
University website: www.ucl.ac.uk/users/sophie-acton
EDUCATION
2008
PhD Biochemistry – Tumour Cell Biology Laboratory, Cancer Research UK London Research Institute. Awarded by University College London (Supervisor: Dr Erik Sahai)
2004
Masters of Pharmacology. Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, University of Bath. Including 12-month industry placement (Millenium Pharmaceuticals, Cambridge, UK)
CURRENT POSITION
2016-
Junior Group Leader/Cancer Research UK Career Development Fellow – MRC laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology (LMCB), University College London, UK
PREVIOUS POSITIONS
2012 – 2016
Postdoctoral Researcher – Immunobiology Laboratory, Cancer Research UK London Research Institute. (Supervisor Caetano Reis e Sousa)
2008 – 2011
Postdoctoral Researcher – Cancer Immunology and AIDS department, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, USA. (Supervisor Shannon J. Turley)
FELLOWSHIPS
- Cancer Research UK Career Development Fellowship 2016-2022
- Henry Wellcome Postdoctoral Fellowship 2009-2016
PRIZES
- Shortlisted ‘Women of the future award’ – Science category
- L’Oreal UNESCO for Women in Science Fellowship
- Hardiman-Redon Postdoctoral prize (£500 awarded annually to to the best postdoctoral publication, awarded by Cancer Research UK London Research Institute)
- Pontecorvo Thesis Prize (£500 awarded annually to the Cancer Research UK funded student submitting the best PhD thesis)
INVITED TALKS
Jan 2018
Invited speaker, London Cell Motility Club, UK
Invited speaker, Institute of Immunity and Transplantation, Royal free hospital, UK
Nov 2017
Invited speaker, Institute of Immunity and Transplantation, Royal free hospital, UK
Nov 2017
Invited speaker, NCRI conference
Session – Mechanics, a critical but forgotten hallmark of cancer, UK
Oct 2017
Invited lecture, Radboud University, Njimegen, Netherlands
Mar 2017
Invited lecture – Dutch Society for Immunology Symposium 2017 – Lunteren, Netherlands
Jul 2016
UCL Cancer Institute Annual conference – Host Tariq Enver
Jul 2016
Cancer Research UK Fellows meeting – York
Jun 2016
University of York – Host Mark Coles
Nov 2015
University of Southampton – Host Prof. Al-Shamkhani
SELECTED ORAL PRESENTATIONS
Nov 2013
StIG –Stromal Immunology conference, Cambridge UK
May 2011
AAI Immunology conference – San Francisco, USA
July 2010
FASEB Meeting – Immunoreceptors, Snowmass Colorado, USA
May 2010
AAI conference: Immunology 2010 Baltimore, USA
TRAINING COURSES
2016
Cancer Research UK Women of Influence (management mentorship scheme)
2016
EMBO Lab Management workshop – Heidelberg Germany
2016
Media training – MHP communications/ENGINE – London
2013
Narrative Skills Workshop – Wellcome Trust
2012
Wellcome Trust and BBC placement – 5 week internship on BBC Horizon’s
COLLABORATIONS
MRC/LMCB/UCL: Prof Buzz Baum, Dr Chris Stefan, Dr Franck Pichaud, Dr Yanlan Mao, Dr Ewa Paulch, Dr Guilaume Charras
Dr Annemiek B. van Spriel, Tetraspanin CD37 regulates C-type lectin receptor 2 (CLEC-2) function on dendritic cells (manuscript in preparation), Radboud University Medical Center, The Netherlands
Dr Chris Tape Mass spectrometry/phosphoproteomics screening of podoplanin signaling, Institute of Cancer Research, London
Professor Steve Watson, Characterisation of CLEC-2 function, Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom