Rate My Professor Roslyn Bill

Professor Roslyn Bill is the 50th Anniversary Professor of Biotechnology in the School of Biosciences, College of Health and Life Sciences at Aston University, where she joined in 2002 as an Innovation Fellow and has progressed through roles including Reader in Molecular Biosciences, Director of the Aston Research Centre for Healthy Ageing, Associate Dean for Research, and Director of the Aston Membrane Proteins and Lipids centre. She now directs the Aston Institute for Membrane Excellence (AIME) and serves as Chief Scientific Officer of Estuar Pharmaceuticals, an Aston University spin-out. Prior to Aston, Bill held positions as Assistant Professor at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, Researcher at Göteborg University as part of the EC-funded Göteborg Yeast Centre, Fulbright Scholar at the University of Michigan, and Clinical Scientist at Addenbrooke's NHS Trust in Cambridge. She holds a BA (Hons) First Class in Natural Science (Chemistry) and MA from the University of Oxford (1986-1993), and a DPhil in Bio-Organic Chemistry as a Wellcome Trust Prize Student at Oxford (1991-1994).

Bill's research centers on membrane proteins and lipids, focusing on the regulation of aquaporin water channels, particularly AQP4's subcellular localization and role in glymphatic flow for treating central nervous system edema, traumatic brain injury, and cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease; this work is funded by an ERC Advanced Grant (FORTIFY). Other interests include recombinant membrane protein production in yeast, tetraspanins, and G protein-coupled receptors. Key publications include 'Subcellular targeting of AQP4 reduces early progression of brain swelling after traumatic brain injury' (Cell, 2020), 'Aquaporin-1 is a water channel protein' (Biochemistry, 2010), 'Adult organotypic brain slice cultures recapitulate extracellular matrix remodeling in hemorrhagic stroke' (Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience, 2026), and 'Astrocyte Enrichment of 3D Cortical Constructs Enhances Brain Repair' (Advanced Science, 2026). She has garnered awards such as the Aston University Vice-Chancellor’s Research Award (2023), Chancellor’s Medal (2019), FEBS National Lecturer (2019), 50th Anniversary Chair Medal (2017), Fellowship of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC, 2013), Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA, 2013), and Fellowship of the Royal Society of Biology (FRSB, 2012). Bill serves as Executive Editor of BBA-Biomembranes (2022-2025) and on editorial boards for Membranes, Microbial Cell Factories, and others. She chaired BBSRC Committee E (2019-2024), sat on REF2021 Sub-Panel 8, and reviews for major funding bodies including ERC, BBSRC, MRC, and Wellcome Trust. Her leadership has attracted over £10M in funding from Research England, ERC, BBSRC, EPSRC, and industry partners, advancing therapeutic development in membrane biology.