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Welcome! The Dupree Group is located in the Hopkins Building of the Department of Biochemistry at the
University of Cambridge.
Despite the fact that the plant cell wall forms one of the largest biomasses on Earth and is an important component of food for the world's population,
many fundamental aspects of its structure and function, and the enzymes responsible for its synthesis are still largely a mystery.
In addition, the complex polysaccharides produced by plants are utilized around the globe in countless commercial and industrial processes from the
textile industry, agriculture, building materials, paper products and more.
Our research involves using biochemical and microbiological techniques in conjunction with mass spectrometry based technologies to study the structure,
synthesis, and trafficking pathways of the wall of plant cells.
Our mass spectrometry / proteomics research is conducted in close collaboration with Dr. Kathryn Lilley and the
Cambridge Centre for Proteomics.
We are part of the University of Cambridge Bioenergy Initiative and also one of the six research hubs in the
BBSRC Sustainable Bioenergy Centre.
This virtual centre is composed of academic and industrial partners, based at each of the Universities of Cambridge,
Dundee, Nottingham and York and Rothamsted Research.
Our contribution is the BSBEC Cell Wall Sugars Programme –
developing strategies to improve plants and enzymes for increased sugar release from biomass. The programme aims
to better understand how sugars are locked into plant cell walls. By doing this we can select the right plants and
the right enzymes to release the maximum amount of sugars for conversion to biofuels. Our associated programme members are Newcastle University and Novozymes.
Interested in joining us? The group welcomes applications from prospective PhD students, and from prospective postdoctoral researchers.
From time to time, fully funded positions are available, but if you have your own funds, please
contact Paul Dupree with a CV and, importantly, an indication of how your research
interests can contribute to our research programme.