Rate My Professor Jo Morris

Professor Jo Morris serves as Professor of Molecular Genetics in the Department of Cancer and Genomic Sciences at the University of Birmingham, part of the College of Medicine and Health. She obtained her PhD in Molecular Genetics from the University of London, Imperial Cancer Research Fund, in 1999, and her BSc (Hons) from the University of York in 1995. Morris's career trajectory includes postdoctoral research at King’s College London (2000–2002), followed by prestigious fellowships: Medical Research Council Fellow (2003–2006) and Breast Cancer Campaign Fellow (2007–2010). She joined the University of Birmingham in 2010 as Senior Lecturer, was promoted to Reader in Cancer Genetics in 2013, and elevated to Professor thereafter.

Her research investigates cellular mechanisms for genome maintenance and repair, focusing on the breast and ovarian cancer susceptibility protein BRCA1's functions in DNA end resection and replication fork protection. Morris explores how post-translational modifications by ubiquitin and SUMO regulate protein behavior during DNA damage responses, homologous recombination, and replication stress, with implications for cancer predisposition and therapy. Landmark publications encompass "Ubiquitin conjugation by BRCA1" (Human Molecular Genetics, 2004), establishing BRCA1-dependent ubiquitination at double-strand breaks; "SUMOylation regulates the DNA damage response and BRCA1 ubiquitin ligase activity" (Nature, 2009); "POH1 controls ubiquitination at DNA damage sites" (EMBO Journal, 2012); and recent advances like "SUMO4 promotes SUMO deconjugation for DSB repair" (Molecular Cell, 2025) and "HDAC6-dependent deacetylation enhances SUMO1 conjugation" (EMBO Journal, 2025). She has attracted major grants from Cancer Research UK (£1.4M), Breast Cancer Now, MRC, and Wellcome Trust. Morris holds leadership positions such as Chair of the MRC Molecular and Cellular Medicine Board (since 2025), former Chair of the Journal of Molecular Cell Biology (2018–2022), and contributor to university research strategy committees. Honors include Breast Cancer Campaign Team of the Year (2009) and Birmingham Founders Award (2017).