Dr Christian Rudolph
Reader
Heinz Wolff 112
- Email: christian.rudolph@brunel.ac.uk
- Tel: +44 (0)1895 265372
Summary
Dr. Rudolph is a world-renowned expert in bacterial DNA replication and repair, bacterial chromosome dynamics and bacterial chromosome structure. His research investigates how cells respond to replication stress and maintain genome stability. Using bacterial systems as highly tractable models, his group combines fundamental molecular biology with technically advanced experimental approaches to investigate how DNA replication is disrupted, how cells process stalled or damaged replication forks, and how these pathways influence chromosome maintenance, DNA repair, CRISPR adaptation and antimicrobial responses.
A central aim of his work is to understand how different forms of replication stress generate distinct DNA intermediates and how cells process these structures to preserve genome stability. Replication stress is a major driver of genome instability across all domains of life. By studying these mechanisms in bacteria, we can dissect the molecular pathways that stabilise or destabilise genomes with a level of precision difficult to achieve in more complex systems. However, a detailed understanding of these processes also creates opportunities for the development of much-needed antimicrobial strategies and for broader applications in biotechnology and genome engineering.
Current research areas of his group include DNA replication termination, replication–transcription conflicts, replication restart pathways, CRISPR–Cas adaptation, and the effects of new antimicrobial substances on DNA replication and chromosome dynamics.
Dr Rudolph also maintains the Rudolph LAB website and research blog, which communicate recent research, experimental approaches, scientific publishing and broader issues in genome biology, laboratory science and higher education. Through these resources he aims to make fundamental molecular biology more accessible, support knowledge exchange and engage both scientific and wider audiences.
Qualifications
- Doctor rerum naturalium Genetics (PhD equivalent), Georg-August-University Göttingen, Germany
- Diplom Biology (equivalent of combined BSci and MRes), Georg-August-University Göttingen, Germany
Responsibility
- Reader in Biosciences
- Research group leader (Rudolph LAB)
- Teaching in molecular biology, microbiology and genome biology
- Undergraduate, MSc, MRes and PhD supervision
- Research leadership in bacterial genome stability and DNA replication
- Science communication and public engagement through the Rudolph LAB website and the Rudolph LAB blog
- External collaborations and knowledge exchange
Newest selected publications
Hashemloo, MA., Killelea, T., Mamić, T., Ireland, TH., Lou-Hing, A., Kemm, F., et al. (2026) 'Visualizing the interplay of Cas1–Cas2 with DNA replication-repair that creates CRISPR–Cas immunity'. Nucleic Acids Research, 54 (11). pp. 1 - 15. ISSN: 0305-1048 Open Access Link
Goodall, DJ., Dimude, JU., Hashemloo, MA., Dunbar, EL., Grigoryan, I., Upton, AL., et al. (2026) 'Termination of DNA replication drives genomic instability via multiple mechanisms'. Nucleic Acids Research, 54 (2). pp. 1 - 21. ISSN: 0305-1048 Open Access Link
de Dios, R., Gadar, K., Proctor, CR., Maslova, E., Soliman, MAN., Han, J., et al. (2025) 'Saccharin disrupts bacterial cell envelope stability and interferes with DNA replication dynamics'. EMBO Molecular Medicine, 17 (5). pp. 993 - 1017. ISSN: 1757-4676 Open Access Link
Killelea, T., Dimude, JU., He, L., Stewart, AL., Kemm, FE., Radovčić, M., et al. (2023) 'Cas1-Cas2 physically and functionally interacts with DnaK to modulate CRISPR Adaptation'. Nucleic Acids Research, 51 (13). pp. 6914 - 6926. ISSN: 0305-1048 Open Access Link
Goodall, DJ., Warecka, D., Hawkins, M. and Rudolph, CJ. (2023) 'Interplay between chromosomal architecture and termination of DNA replication in bacteria'. Frontiers in Microbiology, 14. pp. 1 - 19. ISSN: 1664-302X Open Access Link