An organic chemist specialising in the development of new antibiotics and a neuroscientist who explores the causes of severe brain conditions will lead important new areas of research at the University of Lincoln.
Dr Tobias Gruber and Dr Richard Ngomba, both renowned for their work in specialist areas of medical research, have joined the School of Pharmacy at Lincoln.
Dr Gruber previously headed the Organic Chemistry Laboratory at the Freiberg University of Mining and Technology in Saxony, Germany, where he completed his PhD and spent four years as a Teaching and Research Fellow. He also completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Oxford, UK, and was a Research Associate at the University of Freiberg, one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in Germany.
His research examines how selective receptors in the brain react to different bioactive substances, and his work has explored new types of antibiotics and their effect on human receptors.
Dr Gruber said, ‘I am delighted to be here at the University of Lincoln, where I am direct neighbours with such a range of biologists, chemists and life scientists. It is a very stimulating environment to work in and there are so many possibilities for new research collaborations.’
Both Dr Gruber and Dr Richard Ngomba are based in the university’s state-of-the-art Joseph Banks Laboratories on the Lincoln Science and Innovation Park – a pioneering venture launched in collaboration with Lincolnshire Co-op.
Dr Ngomba has joined the university after working at the IRCCS Neuromed Neurological Institute in Italy, where he focused on particular areas of neuroscience, pharmacology and pharmacy practice. The institute is academically linked to the University of Rome Sapienza, and is a centre of excellence in neurological sciences and healthcare research.
He specialises in the study of neurobiology at a cellular level and at the University of Lincoln he will continue his work scrutinising the causes and triggers of neurological conditions. He hopes to establish a new neuroscience society at Lincoln, bringing scientists together to create an effective research network and encourage new studies in this area.
