Dr Jeongmin Woo 

Dr Neda Hasan

Mr Chaitanya Vuppusetty (Lab manager)

Dr Praveen Weeratunga 

Dr Harry Tian Hu

Dr Vishal Nathwani 

Dr Sabrina Zulfikar 

Dr Leila Baghaarabani

Dr Yaron Ben-Ami

See our Spotlight video - https://youtu.be/Dj0uNQgA1Fs

My research group studies how immunological responses impact on mechanisms of lung injury, regeneration and repair. Our projects are divided into mechanistic and translational studies. We have two aims – (1) to understand the contribution of immune cells to chronic progressive lung fibrosis and alveolar regneration (2) to use this knowledge to bring new treatment and improved management to patients with fibrotic lung diseases,focusing on idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and fibrotic sarcoidosis. 

We focus on both the lung tissue and blood in human studies, and longitudinal murine studies. In the lungs, we have developed methods (with mathematicians) to map out the spatial organisation of immune cells using mathematical tools, single cell imaging mass cytometry and single cell transcriptomics. 

Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) is a devastating and progressive lung disease in which normal alveolar architecture is replaced by scar tissue, leading to respiratory failure and death. While much attention has been paid to the role of fibroblasts and collagen deposition, it is increasingly clear that failed regeneration of the alveolar epithelium plays a key role in disease progression. Our group recently mapped the spatial landscape of regenerating alveolar niche in IPF (Weeratunga et al., Nature Communications, 2025), revealing a population of abnormal alveolar epithelial cells that are spatially associated with a distinct group of macrophages. Single cell transcriptomic evidence suggest that they may shape epithelial response to injury and drive disease perpetuation. This DPhil project will build on these findings and test the hypothesis that immune–epithelial crosstalk between macrophages and aberrant alveolar intermediates disrupts normal repair and promotes fibrotic progression. The project will generate alveolar organoids which recapitulate features of the regenerating niche in IPF patients and use immunological assays to test the function of interacting macrophages and epithelial cells. Other advanced techniques, including CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing to perturb key ligand–receptor pathways and single-cell RNA sequencing to map cellular responses will be used as necessary.

This project is ideal for a motivated, industrious and smart student with a background in medicine, biomedical sciences, immunology or molecular/cell biology. It offers an opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to a globally important area of disease, working in a Unit at the forefront of immune-mediated diseases and lung immune-epithelial biology. Ultimately, the work could help define new therapeutic strategies for IPF—shifting focus to improving regeneration—and provide insight into how the immune system can be harnessed to restore damaged tissues.

Training Opportunities

The student will be based within the MRC Translational Immune Discovery Unit at the Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, a hub for cutting-edge research in immunology and human disease. Our group is interdisciplinary and translational, with strong links to clinical practice, computational biology, and drug discovery. You will gain hands-on experience in state-of-the-art methods including flow cytometry and mass cytometry (CyTOF),  and opportunities to use single-cell RNA sequencing and spatial transcriptomics, alongside molecular biology and bioinformatics tools for high-dimensional analysis. In addition to technical training, there is a strong emphasis on critical thinking, experimental design, data analysis, presentation skills, and scientific writing—ensuring you develop as an independent and well-rounded researcher.

Contact details: Ling-pei.ho@imm.ox.ac.uk