Dr Güneş Taylor

Chancellor's Fellow

Qualifications

MSci Human Genetics (University of Nottingham, UK) 

DPhil Clinical Laboratory Sciences (University of Oxford, UK) 

Research summary

Güneş' research programme seeks to serve female health and fertility needs by answering the unresolved question: how do primordial follicles activate? Both mammalian and avian model systems will be used to investigate the role of supporting cells in this biological process. Uncovering the molecular mechanisms driving follicle activation will potentially allow us to tune the functional degeneration of ovaries, extending the limited female reproductive lifespan and delaying the onset of menopause. As menopause results in considerable increase in disease risk and reduction in health, this work will generate knowledge to advance female health and reproductive outcomes. 

Past research interests

During the DPhil with Prof. Tatjana Sauka-Spengler at the University of Oxford Güneş contributed to the development of new methodologies for gene regulatory network assembly and validation in avian embryos. Güneş' postdoctoral research with Prof. Robin Lovell-Badge at The Francis Crick Institute centred on ovarian pregranulosa cells - their specification in avians and their activation during the transition from primordial-to-primary follicles in mice.