Dr Christos Velanis

I am a molecular biologist with a strong interest in epigenetics research and its applications in biotechnology. I primarily study plants and algae, but I happily venture into other fields where epigenetics can provide a more comprehensive understanding of biological causality.

My training has taken me across five prestigious institutions in three different countries: Greece, the UK, and Ireland. I completed my BSc in Biology at the University of Athens, followed by an MSc in Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology at the University of Crete, Greece. I then decided that I had received enough sunshine for the years to come and moved to the UK to undertake a PhD in Cellular and Molecular Biology at the University of Glasgow, where I developed a keen preference for chromatin biology. Following my doctorate, I held postdoctoral research positions at the University of Edinburgh and Trinity College Dublin, broadening my research experience and contributing to interdisciplinary collaborations.

In 2023, I gained valuable teaching experience as a Teaching Associate at the University of Nottingham before joining The Open University as a Lecturer in Plant Biology.

I lead the Developmental & Environmental Epigenetics (DEEP) lab, and my vision is to make epigenetic research engaging, relevant, and accessible to a wide range of learners.

DEEP lab

Research interests

The DEEP Lab has several ongoing research themes:

1. Unravelling the epigenetic regulation of the biosynthesis of high-value natural pharmaceuticals from microalgae.

2. Understanding the diversity and regulation of the plant Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2)

3. Developing targeted therapeutic approaches through epigenetic engineering

Research Studentship Opportunities

I am a registered prospective supervisor for the BBSRC/NERC ILESLA Doctoral Landscape Award.

My work aligns with the following core ILESLA research themes:

1. Rules of Life: Developmental Epigenetics of Plants and Algae.

2. Transformative technologies: synthetic biology and metabolic engineering for production of natural pharamaceuticals

3. Animal and Human Health: Precesion medicine therapeutics through targeted epigenetic engineering

Please contact me to discuss potential projects.