Stephen Cochrane

Professor Stephen A. Cochrane

 

 

Stephen Cochrane originally hails from the village of Eglinton and attended Eglinton Primary School and Limavady Grammar School before starting an MSc degree in Chemistry at Queen's University Belfast in 2006. Outside of his studies he slapped bass in a prog rock band (Citizen Snips) and partly funded his studies through summer jobs in a local abattoir. In 2010 Stephen graduated top of his year and moved to Edmonton, Canada to undertake a PhD in Organic Chemistry at the University of Alberta under the supervision of Prof John Vederas. His research focused on structural and mechanistic studies on antimicrobial lipopeptides, namely the tridecaptins, which show strong activity against multidrug resistant Gram-negative bacteria. In 2016 he was awarded a Sir Henry Wellcome Postdoctoral Fellowship to study the transport of lipid-linked carbohydrates across bacterial cell membranes at Oxford University with Professor Benjamin Davis. During this time he also worked on the synthesis of new tunicamycin analogues with reduced cytotoxicity. In 2017 Stephen was appointed as a Lecturer in Medicinal Chemistry & Chemical Biology at Queen's University Belfast, where his research focuses on the identification of novel antimicrobial compounds and targets. He was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2020, Reader in 2023 and Professor in 2024.

Outside of work Stephen is kept busy by his family (wife + 2 kids). His main hobby is long-distance running, with his currents PBs at 16:01 (5k), 33:27 (10 k), 1.15:11 (HM) and 2:36:02 (marathon). In 2024 he set two running Guinness World Records for Fastest Half Marathon Dressed as Scientist (1.17:07) and Fastest Marathon Dressed as a Scientist (2.48:51). He also loves reading/listening to fantasy and sci-fi series, with some of his favourite authors being Brandon Sanderson and Robert Jordan. Curriculum Vitae

 

Education and Employment History

Aug 2024 - present: Professor of Medicinal Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Queen's University Belfast

Aug 2023 - July 2024: Reader in Medicinal Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Queen's University Belfast

Aug 2020 - July 2023: Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in Medicinal Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Queen's University Belfast

April 2017 – July 2020: Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Medicinal Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Queen’s University Belfast 

Feb 2016 – March 2017: Sir Henry Wellcome Postdoctoral Fellow, Oxford University

Sept 2010 – Dec 2015: PhD in Organic Chemistry, University of Alberta

Sept 2006 – June 2010: MSci in Chemistry, Queens University Belfast