Prof Paul  Evans

I joined Dr Graeme Alexander's laboratory (Cambridge, UK) in 1993 to study the immunological processes that govern chronic rejection of liver grafts and graduated with a PhD in 1996. Following Post-doctoral positions in Prof. Lee Nelson's group at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (Seattle, USA) and Dr. Peter Kilshaw's laboratory at the Babraham Institute (Cambridge, UK), I was awarded Training and Senior Fellowships by Kidney Research UK to study the intracellular signalling pathways that control inflammatory activation and injury of vascular endothelial cells. My studies in this field were recognized by the British Transplantation Society who awarded me the Medawar Prize in 2000. I joined Imperial College London in 2004 as a Senior Lecturer in Endothelial Cell Physiology and was promoted to Reader in 2010. During this time, I headed the Intracellular Signalling Laboratory within the British Heart Foundation Cardiovascular Sciences Unit, which is headed by Prof. Dorian Haskard. I was appointed to the Chair in Cardiovascular Science at the University of Sheffield in October 2011.

My research is focussed on the effects of shear stress (a mechanical force generated by flowing blood) on the physiology of vascular endothelial cells. These studies are relevant to vascular injury and atherosclerosis which develop predominantly at branches and bends in the arterial tree that are exposed to disturbed patterns of blood flow. The cross-disciplinary nature of my work has led to interactions with molecular and cellular biologists, vascular physiologists and bioengineers. My research program will improve our understanding of the molecular mechanisms that give rise to the spatial distribution of atherosclerotic plaques, and will inform novel therapeutic approaches to prevent or treat atherosclerosis by inducing protective molecules at atherosusceptible regions. My studies in this field have been recognized by the British Atherosclerosis Society (John French Lecture 2011) and the British Cardiovascular Society (Michael Davies Award 2011), and members of my group have also won prestigious prizes (listed below).