Dr Aakash Mukhopadhyay
- Christ's College Cambridge Research Fellow
Contact
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Location
- Pathology TCR Building
About
Dr Aakash Mukhopadhyay is a molecular cell biologist whose research explores how cilia and flagella function in eukaryotic pathogens. He completed an integrated Master’s degree in Biotechnology at St. Xavier’s College Kolkata before undertaking a PhD at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi with Professor Chinmoy S. Dey, where he investigated the molecular mechanisms controlling parasite motility in Leishmania. His doctoral work was recognised with the Distinction in Doctoral Research Award.
Aakash carried out postdoctoral research with Dr Anthony Roberts at Birkbeck, University of London, and later at the Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford. There, he combined genome editing, advanced microscopy, biochemistry and cryo-electron microscopy to study the molecular machinery that builds and regulates cilia. His contributions were recognised with both a Pathway to Independence Grant and an Excellence Award from the University of Oxford.
In 2026, Aakash established the Mukhopadhyay Laboratory in the Department of Pathology at the University of Cambridge and became a Fellow of Christ’s College. His research combines cell biology, biochemistry and structural biology to understand how fundamental cellular machinery is adapted across diverse pathogens. He also serves the scientific community through editorial and peer-review activities for leading journals in cell and molecular biology.
Research
The Mukhopadhyay Lab investigates how eukaryotic pathogens adapt conserved cellular machinery to survive, spread and interact with their hosts. Our research focuses on cilia and flagella – specialised organelles that drive movement, environmental sensing and cell–cell interactions across the eukaryotic kingdom.
We study trypanosomatid parasites, including Leishmania and Trypanosoma, which cause significant human disease worldwide. These organisms depend on a single multifunctional flagellum throughout their life cycles, using it to navigate diverse environments and respond to changing conditions within both insect and mammalian hosts.
By combining cell biology, biochemistry, advanced imaging and structural biology, we seek to understand how flagella are assembled, maintained and regulated at the molecular level. A major focus of the lab is uncovering how intraflagellar transport systems and molecular motors build and control these organelles, and how these mechanisms have evolved in different organisms.
Our work aims to reveal fundamental principles of eukaryotic cell biology while identifying parasite-specific adaptations that could provide new opportunities for the development of future treatments against infectious diseases.
Teaching and supervision
Available to supervise doctoral students.