Mairi Kilkenny

Mairi Kilkenny

Teaching in Biochemistry

I am the Deputy Director of Undergraduate Education in the Department of Biochemistry, and an Associate Teaching Professor on the Teaching and Scholarship pathway. Alongside the Directors of Teaching, I maintain oversight of undergraduate teaching and assessment, including communications, coordination, strategic planning, course review and development, as well as the general organisation and delivery of our 5 undergraduate courses (Part IA MIMS, Part IA BoC, Part IB BMB, Part II Biochemistry, Part III Biochemistry; in total ~800 students).

My teaching responsibilities include Part I/II Lecturer, Part I Practical Organiser, Course/Module Organiser, Journal Club and Peer Group Facilitator. I participate actively in curriculum reviews, and am deeply committed to educational equity, accessibility, and providing an environment in which all students can thrive. I aspire to create engaging and creative learning opportunities for students, inspired by the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework.

I co-ordinate the Department’s Post-doctoral Teaching Associate (PDTA) scheme, running recruitment, 1:1 mentoring and training of teaching-focused post-docs. I am also currently a Co-Director of the MPhil (Biomolecular Science) pathway, with oversight of admissions, teaching, assessment, as well as coordination with other MPhil pathways across the School of Biological Sciences (SBS).

In addition to my Departmental role, I am a Fellow and Teaching Officer at Queens’ College, as well as a Director of Studies and Undergraduate Tutor. I am a strong advocate for widening participation in higher education.

Innovation in Teaching

I am committed to developing and implementing innovative, evidence-based digital learning and assessment technologies. Some of my recent projects include:

  • Inspera Exam Pilot (2021-2023): member of the Inspera Operational Board, embedding digital assessment in SBS and across the wider University. Ongoing contributions via the Digital Assessment Program Advisory Group.
  • Roll-out of a new student feedback system (PaperSurvey).
  • Diversification of assessment in Part IB BMB and Part III Biochemistry.
  • Building a Part IB BMB Escape Room and other interactive learning sessions.

Recognition for Innovation in Teaching

In 2021, I was awarded the Cambridge University Press Technology Enabled Learning (TEL) Prize for STEMM, followed in 2025 by a Pilkington Prize for Teaching Excellence. I have been nominated for a teaching award (2022), shortlisted as an Innovative Teacher (2020), and commended as an Undergraduate Supervisor (Science and Technology, 2018) in the CUSU student-led teaching awards.

Research Interests

I am a chemist-turned-biochemist, with a keen interest in Structural Biology (once we know what a molecular machine looks like, we can start to understand how it works!). After completing my PhD, I worked for several years as a post-doctoral researcher at The Institute of Cancer Research (London). My research focused on the molecular mechanisms of DNA repair, and I investigated various pathways involved in the maintenance of genome stability. My subsequent research in the Department of Biochemistry in Cambridge focused on elucidating the molecular mechanisms of DNA replication in human cells, using a multi-disciplinary approach including cryo-EM, x-ray crystallography, gene cloning, expression and protein purification, as well as myriad biophysical techniques. I have supervised and mentored numerous Part II, Part III, MPhil and PhD students.

Recent Publications

  1. Atomwise AIMS program consortium, AI is a viable alternative to high throughput screening: a 318-target study, Sci Rep., 2024, 14(1), 7256.
  2. Yin Z, Kilkenny ML, Ker DS, Pellegrini L, FEBS J., 2024, 291(8) 1813-1829.
  3. Kilkenny ML, Veale CE, Guppy A, Hardwick SW, Chirgadze DY, Rzechorzek NJ, Maman JD, Pellegrini L, Structural basis for the interaction of SARS-CoV2 virulence factor nsp1 with Polα–Primase, Protein Science, 2022, 31(2) 333-344.
  4. Risa GT, Hurtig F, Bray S, Hafner AE, Harker-Kirchneck L, Faull P, Davis C, Papatziamou D, Mutavchiev DR, Fan C, Meneguello L, Pulschen AA, Dey G, Culley S, Kilkenny ML, Souza DP, Pellegrini L, de Bruin RAM, Henriques R, Snijders AP, Saric A, Lindas AC, Robinson N, Baum B, The proteasome controls ESCRT-III-mediated cell division in an archaeon, Science, 2020, 369.
  5. Lerner LK, Holzer S, Kilkenny ML, Svikovic S, Murat P, Schiavone D, Eldridge CB, Bittleston A, Maman JD, Branzei D, Stott K, Pellegrini L, Sale JE, Timeless couples G-quadruplex detection with processing by DDX11 helicase during DNA replication, EMBO J, 2020, e104185.
  6. Holzer S, Rzechorzek NJ, Jenkyn Bedford M, Pellegrini L, Kilkenny ML, Structural basis for inhibition of human primase by arabinofuranosyl nucleotide analogues fludarabine and vidarabine, ACS Chemical Biology, 2019, 14, 9, 1904-1912.
  7. Holzer S, Yan J, Kilkenny ML, Bell SD, Pellegrini L, Primer synthesis by a eukaryotic-like archaeal primase is independent of its Fe-S cluster, Nature Communications, 2017, 8(1), 1718.
  8. Kilkenny ML, Simon AC, Mainwaring J, Wirthenson D, Holzer S, Pellegrini L, The human CTF4-orthologue AND-1 interacts with the DNA polymerase α/primase via its unique C-terminal HMG box, Open Biology, 2017, 7(11), 170217.
  9. Kolinjivadi AM, Sannino V, De Antoni A, Zadorozhny K, Kilkenny ML, Techer H, Baldi G, Shen R, Ciccia A, Pellegrini L, Krejci L, Costanzo V, Smarcal1-Mediated Fork Reversal Triggers Mre11-Dependent Degradation of Nascent DNA in the Absence of Brca2 and Stable Rad51 Nucleofilaments, Molecular Cell, 2017, 67, 1-15.
  10. Holzer S, Degliesposti G, Kilkenny ML, Maslen SL, Matak-Vinkovíc D, Skehel M, Pellegrini L, Crystal structure of the N-terminal domain of human Timeless and its interaction with Tipin, Nucleic Acids Research, 2017, 45(9), 5555-5563.
  11. Villa F, Simon AC, Ortiz Bazan MA, Kilkenny ML, Wirthensohn D, Wightman M, Matak-Vinkovíc D, Pellegrini L, Labib K, Ctf4 Is a Hub in the Eukaryotic Replisome that Links Multiple CIP-Box Proteins to the CMG Helicase, Molecular Cell, 2016, 63, 1-12.
  12. Anjum RS, Bray SM, Blackwood JK, Kilkenny ML, Coelho MA, Foster BM, Li S, Howard JA, Pellegrini L, Albers SV, Deery MJ, Robinson NP,  Involvement of a eukaryotic-like ubiquitin-related modifier in the proteasome pathway of the archaeon Sulfolobus acidocaldarius, Nature Communications, 2015, 6: 8163.
  13. Simon AC, Zhou JC, Perera RL, van Deursen F, Evrin C, Ivanova ME, Kilkenny ML, Renault L, Kjaer S, Matak-Vinković D, Labib K, Costa A, Pellegrini L, A Ctf4 trimer couples the CMG helicase to DNA polymerase α in the eukaryotic replisome, Nature, 2014, 510 (7504), 293-7.