About us
Our lab is composed of a multidisciplinary team of international scientists with backgrounds in (bio)physics and quantitative biochemistry. We are hardworking, passionate people who work together as a team to unravel how the molecular process of replication happens in real time. If you want to know who is who in the lab, scroll down and get to meet us
Group leader
Prof. Dr. Nynke Dekker
Principal investigator
Nynke Dekker obtained her B.Sc. cum laude from Yale University (with majors in both physics and in applied mathematics), an M.Sc. cum laude in physics from Leiden University, and a prestigious Ph.D. in physics from Harvard University. This was followed by a postdoctoral period at the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris in which she transitioned into the field of biological physics. She was appointed Statutory Professor of Biophysics at the University of Oxford in 2024. Prior to that, she was faculty member at TU Delft (2002-2024).
Administrative support
Dr. Yi Ni Ong
Staff
Dr. Belén Solano Hermosilla
Staff scientist
Belén obtained a MSc in Physics by the University of Zaragoza, Spain, a PhD in Microsystems Engineering by the University of Durham, UK, and was a postdoctoral researcher at the French Atomic Commission, France. After holding different positions in both industry and academy, ranging from hands-on research work and lecturing to management, she became research manager of the Nynke Dekker lab in 2015.
Dr. Kamila Myka
Staff scientist
Kamila obtained her PhD from the University of Aberdeen, where she explored the genetic mechanisms behind high-pressure- and cold-adapted growth of a deep-sea bacterium. Her subsequent research at the University of York and Columbia University focused on various aspects of replication, transcription, translation and DNA repair in E. coli. Most recently, at MSKCC in New York, she investigated bacterial and human DNA replication using ensemble biochemistry. Kamila joined Nynke's lab in 2024 to study the dynamics of DNA replication.
Dr. Joel Forster
Scientific Programmer
Joel is a computational biophysicist with a background in scientific computing, and development of AI systems for biochemistry. He obtained his PhD in biophysical simulation from University College London (IPLS, CoMPLEX), where he studied structural optimisation of biomolecular assemblies.
Postdoctoral scientists
Dr. Saurabh Talele
Postdoc
Saurabh received his PhD from Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, South Korea, where he used single molecule fluorescence spectroscopy to probe nonequilibrium thermodynamics of proteins. He joined the Nynke Dekker Lab in 2023 as a postdoctoral researcher aiming to uncover the biophysical mechanisms associated with eukaryotic DNA replication.
Dr. Julien Le Gall
Postdoc
Julien received his PhD from the team of Terence Strick, Institut de Biologie de l'École Normale Supérieure, Paris, France, where he used magnetic tweezers to show the co-transcriptional formation of RNA:DNA hybrids. He made a one year post-doctoral research between Terence Strick's and Olivier Espéli's team to expand his PhD topic to in-cellulo measurements. He joined Nynke Dekker Lab's in 2026 as a postdoctoral researcher aiming to uncover the biophysical mechanisms associated with eukaryotic DNA replication.
Dr. Hoa Vo
Postdoc
Hoa received her PhD from the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology in South Korea, where she used single-molecule FRET to investigate the mechanisms of proofreading and strand displacement activities of the bacterial phage Phi29 DNA Polymerase. She joined the Nynke Dekker lab as a postdoctoral researcher in January 2025, aiming to study DNA and chromatin replication using single-molecule techniques. Outside of the lab, Hoa enjoys yoga, playing badminton, and making sourdough bread.
PhD candidates and research associates
Ms. Barbara Tyler
Ph.D. candidate (joint with the Srinivasan lab, Department of Biochemistry)
Barbara graduated from MBiochem Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry at the University of Oxford in 2024. Her master's project was completed in Dr Madhu Srinivasan's group investigating the mechanism by which the protein Cohesin is able to entrap DNA inside of its lumen in order to better understand the mechanism of chromosome segregation during mitosis. Outside of academia, Barbara enjoys rowing, cryptic crosswords, and socialising with friends.
Mr. Jackson Moore
Jackson obtained his B.Sc. in Biological Physics and B.A. in History at Brown University. He is transferring from the Cellular Physiology and Molecular Biophysics PhD Program at Columbia University Irving Medical Center where he obtained his M.A. studying the dynamics of protein-DNA interactions and homologous DNA recombination using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and cryo-electron microscopy. He joined the lab in the fall of 2025 as a PhD candidate.