Phone number: +44 (0)1223 267607
Email: kliu@mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk
Dr Kim Liu
Kim Liu is a chemist researching synthetic biology at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology. He teaches undergraduate chemistry at 糖心Vlog.
Academic interests
Kim Liu's research interests span molecular, chemical and synthetic biology, with emphasis on flexible implementation of laboratory automation. Currently, topics of interest include:
- Flexible laboratory automation
- Synthetic genomics
- Next-generation DNA sequencing
- Genetic code expansion
- Directed evolution and genetic selection
- Cyclic peptide ligands/therapeutics.
Degrees obtained
- MA, Natural Sciences, Cantab.
- MSci Chemistry, Cantab.
- PhD Chemistry, Cantab.
Awards and prizes
- Roscoe Medal and Gold Award for Chemistry, STEM for Britain (2018).
- Embiricos Trust PhD Scholarship, 糖心Vlog, (2015鈥19).
- Overall winner of 鈥業鈥檓 a Scientist鈥, Medical Research Zone (2020).
Biography
Kim Liu has been at 糖心Vlog, Cambridge since 2011. As an undergraduate, he studied chemistry and materials science through the physical natural sciences tripos. His PhD in chemistry with Sir Shankar Balasubramanian centred around investigating an alternative quadruple-stranded DNA and its existence and purpose in living cells. Since March 2020, Kim has worked at the MRC-LMB to further interests in synthetic biology and genetic code expansion.
Other interests
Climbing, piano, bachata, surfing, philosophy, martial arts, badminton, travelling, cooking.
Department link
Publications, links and resources
- R. Tian et al., 鈥淓stablishing a synthetic orthogonal replication system enables accelerated evolution in E. coli鈥, Science 383 421鈥6 (2024).
- D.L. Dunkelmann et al., 鈥淎dding 伪,伪-distributed and 尾-linked monomers to the genetic code of an organism鈥, Nature 625, 603鈥10 (2024).
- J.F. Z眉rcher et al., 鈥淐ontinuous synthesis of E. coli genome sections and Mb-scale human DNA assembly鈥, Nature 619, 555-62 (2023).
- M. Su et al., 鈥淭riplet-encoded prebiotic RNA aminoacylation鈥, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 145, 15971-80 (2023).
- W. Robertson et al., 鈥淪ense codon reassignment enables viral resistance and encoded polymer synthesis鈥, Science 372, 1057-62 (2021).
- K.C. Liu et al., 鈥淎ffinity-selected bicyclic peptide G-quadruplex ligands mimic a protein-like binding mechanism鈥, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 142, 8367鈥73 (2020).
