Dr Lyndsay Kerr
Strathclyde Chancellor's Fellow
Mathematics and Statistics
Personal statement
I began my journey at Strathclyde as a student in 2012 and graduated with a First-Class Honours degree in Mathematics in 2016. Following this, I obtained a scholarship from the Carnegie Trust to complete a PhD at Strathclyde under the supervision of Dr Matthias Langer and Dr Wilson Lamb. My PhD was focused on the study of discrete coagulation-fragmentation equations, which describe systems consisting of clusters of particles that can merge together and break apart.
I then spent four years working at the Institute of Genetics and Cancer (University of Edinburgh) with Dr Duncan Sproul and Professor Ramon Grima as a Cross-Disciplinary Postdoctoral Fellow. During this time I moved into the field of biomedicine and conducted interdisciplinary biomedical research using mathematical modelling and bioinformatics.
Following this I returned to the department of mathematics and statistiscs at Strathclyde as a Chancellor’s Fellow. My current interests involve the use of mathematical models and bioinformatics to further understand biological systems. In particular, certain parts of DNA can be marked by chemical modifications. These marks play very important roles in normal cellular function and changes in these marks are associated with diseases such as cancer. I am interested in investigating the patterning of these marks within DNA: how they arise, how they are maintained, how they vary throughout the genome and how they can be changed. Answering these questions could aid in the understanding of the biological processes that underlie disease and could lead to potential therapeutic targets. My research combines the processing and analysis of terabytes of raw DNA sequencing data with the development and analysis of appropriate mathematical models describing DNA systems.
I have a passion for teaching and enjoy teaching various mathematical and statistical classes at Strathclyde, as well as a Masters’ level Mathematical Biology course at the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences in South Africa.
Publications
- DNMT3B PWWP mutations cause hypermethylation of heterochromatin
- Taglini Francesca, Kafetzopoulos Ioannis, Rolls Willow, Musialik Kamila Irena, Lee Heng Yang, Zhang Yujie, Marenda Mattia, Kerr Lyndsay, Finan Hannah, Rubio-Ramon Cristina, Gautier Philippe, Wapenaar Hannah, Kumar Dhananjay, Davidson-Smith Hazel, Wills Jimi, Murphy Laura C, Wheeler Ann, Wilson Marcus D, Sproul Duncan
- EMBO Reports Vol 25, pp. 1130-1155 (2024)
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s44319-024-00061-5
- Genome-wide single-molecule analysis of long-read DNA methylation reveals heterogeneous patterns at heterochromatin that reflect nucleosome organisation
- Kerr Lyndsay, Kafetzopoulos Ioannis, Grima Ramon, Sproul Duncan
- PLOS Genetics Vol 19 (2023)
- https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1010958
- Discrete fragmentation equations with time-dependent coefficients
- kerr Lyndsay, Lamb Wilson, Langer Matthias
- Discrete and Continuous Dynamical Systems - series S (2023)
- https://doi.org/10.3934/dcdss.2022211
- Local CpG density affects the trajectory and variance of age-associated DNA methylation changes
- Higham Jonathan, Kerr Lyndsay, Zhang Qian, Walker Rosie M, Harris Sarah E, Howard David M, Hawkins Emma L, Sandu Anca-Larisa, Steele J Douglas, Waiter Gordon D, Murray Alison D, Evans Kathryn L, McIntosh Andrew M, Visscher Peter M, Deary Ian J, Cox Simon R, Sproul Duncan
- Genome Biology Vol 23 (2022)
- https://doi.org/10.1186/s13059-022-02787-8
- Cluster mean-field theory accurately predicts statistical properties of large-scale DNA methylation patterns
- Kerr Lyndsay, Sproul Duncan, Grima Ramon
- Journal of the Royal Society Interface Vol 19 (2022)
- https://doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2021.0707
- Discrete fragmentation systems in weighted ℓ1 spaces
- Kerr Lyndsay, Lamb Wilson, Langer Matthias
- Journal of Evolution Equations Vol 20, pp. 1419-1451 (2020)
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s00028-020-00561-6
Contact
Dr
Lyndsay
Kerr
Strathclyde Chancellor's Fellow
Mathematics and Statistics
Email: lyndsay.kerr@strath.ac.uk
Tel: 548 4536