DrMiguel Paez Perez

Dr Miguel Paez-Perez is an independent EPSRC-funded independent research fellow, working in the Department of Chemistry.

After training as a biomedical engineer (Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, 2016), he joined Imperial working with Prof. Brooks and Prof. Kuimova, obtaining a PhD in biophysics in 2022. Following an EPSRC Doctoral Prize Fellowship in 2022 and two short postdoctoral positions (at Imperial and UCL), in 2024 Dr Miguel Paez-Perez was awarded an EPSRC Postdoctoral Open Fellowship.

Miguel's research sits at the interface of biophysics, bionanotechnology, and optical imaging, combining environment-sensitive fluorescent dyes, DNA nanotechnology, X-ray diffraction, device development, and data-driven modelling. Using these, he develops tools to measure and reprogramme the mechanical features of lipid bilayers, with the ultimate goal of understanding the basic principles underpinning the physical behaviour of biological membranes. These advancements could provide insight into fundamental biological processes - including membrane fusion and membrane–protein interactions - and could advance diagnostic and therapeutic strategies addressing current challenges in molecular medicine. We also apply these tools to engineer membrane-based processes in synthetic cells, mimicking those of their biological counterparts.

Our work also emphasises research translation, which we promote by developing low-cost, scalable platforms to maximise accessibility and enable the use of our tools within resource-limited settings.

A detailed list of publications can be found here.

CONTACT

If you find our work interesting and would like to collaborate or join the team, please get in touch at m.paez-perez16@imperial.ac.uk.