Emilia Kvarstein Taylor

I am a final-year DPhil (PhD) researcher in Chemical Biology at the University of Oxford, advised by Professors Georgia Isom and Thomas Lanyon-Hogg. In 2026, I was also a Visiting Researcher in Professor Matthew Bogyo’s lab at Stanford University.

My goal is to develop a new class of antimicrobials designed to tackle the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). AMR is a global health emergency, driven by the widespread emergence of bacterial strains that no longer respond to conventional antibiotics. Despite decades of research, few novel antibacterial classes have reached the clinic, while resistance continues to outpace drug development. My research addresses this gap by applying targeted protein degradation, an approach inspired by mammalian Proteolysis Targeting Chimeras (PROTACs) to bacterial systems. I also collaborate with AstraZeneca’s Proteomics research group to characterise degradation selectivity and identify off-target effects at a global proteome level.

Before Oxford, I spent two years as a Research Scientist at AstraZeneca, working on targeted protein degradation across Cardiovascular, Renal and Metabolism (CVRM) and Discovery Sciences. My work spanned degrader discovery, chemical biology and new approaches to accelerating PROTAC development, and was recognised with AstraZeneca’s Global Science Catalyst Award for innovation in Nano-PROTAC development and crude reaction screening.

I previously completed an MRes in Drug Discovery at Imperial College London, where I worked with Professor Ed Tate on chemical probes targeting bacterial DNA repair enzymes. I hold a BSc in Medicinal Chemistry from the University of Leeds.

Alongside my academic work, I am interested in translating advances in chemical biology into new medicines and biotech. I am currently building an early-stage biotech company in stealth, exploring how induced-proximity molecules can be used to modulate the molecular processes that drive biological ageing. The project was selected for Anthropic’s Claude for Science cohort and the Fifty Years 5050 programme. I am also an SCI Scholar, was previously a Polaris Fellow with Entrepreneur First, and serve on the leadership team at Nucleate Oxford, supporting early-stage biotech ventures.