Jacqueline HY Siu
I currently have a position open to join my group as a research associate (deadline: Nov 14, 2025). For more details, please visit the Oxford application site.
About
I am currently a Wellcome Trust Early Career Fellow in Immunology at the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, University of Oxford with mentorship from Professor Mark Coles and A/Professor Calli Dendrou. I was previously a postdoctoral researcher in Professor Jo Spencer’s group at King’s College London and completed my PhD in the Department of Surgery (Transplantation) at the University of Cambridge in 2021 where I was supervised by Gavin Pettigrew. My doctoral research, funded by a Gates Cambridge scholarship, investigated lymphocyte subset variability between human lymphoid tissues.
Overall, my research combines traditional experimental immunology techniques with computational biology to understand the role of early human B cell response (extrafollicular response) across lymphoid organs, which has a vital role in rapid antibody production. By integrating human challenge models, ex vivo cultures, and single-cell genomics, I aim to address a fundamental immunological question about early human B cells and their impact on long-lived antibodies.
I am also passionate about public engagement, STEM outreach, and mentoring. You can contact me about consulting work and public engagement via email.
Research Projects
2023 – Present
Oxford, UK
Deciphering the impact of human early B cell response on long-lived antibody responses
Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, University of Oxford
- Integrating longitudinal human experimental medicine trials with single-cell multimodal -omics (RNA, protein, immune repertoire, spatial) to understand the role of early responding extrafollicular human B cells and their impact on long-lived antibodies.
- Funded by: Wellcome Trust, Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative Next-gen Grant
2022 – Present
Oxford, UK
In vivo and ex vivo human immune response to vaccination
Professor Mark Coles (University of Oxford, Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology), Dr Calliope Dendrou (University of Oxford, Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics)
- Processing and analysing human fine-needle aspirant lymph node samples before and after influenza vaccination in an ethnically diverse healthy cohort using 10x single cell RNA sequencing with accompanying PBMC, genotyping and serology analysis.
2021 – 2022
London, UK
Human marginal zone B cells resolved by global analysis of lymphoid tissues and blood
Professor Jo Spencer (King’s College London, Department of Immunobiology)
- Prepared samples for acquisition with Helios mass cytometer (CyTOF), 10X 5’ VDJ with CITE-Seq antibodies, and imaging mass cytometry (Helios).
- Designed an unsupervised, machine-learning analysis pipeline for analysing tissue-specific B cell subset differences.
2016 – 2021
Cambridge, UK
PhD Dissertation: Lymphocyte subset variability between human lymphoid tissues
Supervised by: Dr. Gavin Pettigrew (University of Cambridge, Department of Surgery), Professor Jo Spencer (King’s College London, Department of Immunobiology)
- Processed samples from deceased organ donor tissues, prepared samples for acquisition with Helios mass cytometer (CyTOF) and 10X 5’ VDJ with CITE-Seq antibodies, developed a novel biological internal control for normalising batch effects.
- Designed an unsupervised, machine-learning analysis pipeline for analysing tissue-specific B cell subset differences.
- Thesis: https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/324840
2015 – 2016
Vancouver, Canada
Honours BSc Dissertation: Immunological implications of multi-step ALS model
Supervised by: Dr. Neil Cashman (UBC, Centre for Brain Health)
- Mathematically modeled ALS disease progression by modifying a multi-step disease model, hypothesized a critical step in disease progression variation was sustained immune activation. Validated aspects of the model using in vitro experiments like testing aging effects on microglia activation by misfolded SOD1.
2014 – 2016
Vancouver, Canada
Designing a universal fluorescent reporter of SOD1 protein misfolding
Supervised by: Dr. Neil Cashman (UBC, Centre for Brain Health)
2014
Montreal, Canada
Effects of retinoic acid, iNOS, TNFa on IgA class-switching recombination in vitro
Supervised by: Dr. Jorg Fritz (McGill, Department of Microbiology)
2012- 2014
Vancouver, Canada
Constructed and tested in vitro flagellin-specific chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) for regulatory T cells
Supervised by: Dr. Megan Levings (BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute)
For more details, please refer to the PDF version of my resume above.
Peer-Reviewed Papers
To find me on various literature search engines: PubMed, Google Scholar, ORCID
2024
Insights, opportunities and challenges provided by large cell atlases. Genome Biology (in press).
CZI Data Insights consortium.
arXiv: 2408.06563.
2022
B cells in human lymphoid structures. Clinical and Experimental Immunology.
Lucia Montorsi, Jacqueline HY Siu, Jo Spencer.
PMID: 36370126. [Full article]
2022
Two subsets of human marginal zone B cells resolved by global analysis of lymphoid tissues and blood. Science Immunology.
Jacqueline HY Siu, Michael J Pitcher, Thomas J Tull, Rebekah L Velounias, William Guesdon, Lucia Montorsi, Krishnaa T Mahbubani, Richard Ellis, Pawan Dhami, Katrina Todd, Ulrich D Kadolsky, Michelle Kleeman, David P D’Cruz, Kourosh Saeb-Parsy, Mats Bemark, Gavin J Pettigrew, Jo Spencer.
PMID: 35302862. [Full article]
2021
Human marginal zone B cell development from early T2 progenitors. Journal of Experimental Medicine.
Thomas J Tull, Michael J Pitcher, William Guesdon, Jacqueline HY Siu, Cristina Lebrero-Fernandez, Yuan Zhao, Nedyalko Petrov, Susanne Heck, Richard Ellis, Pawan Dhami, Ulrich D Kadolsky, Michelle Kleeman, Yogesh Kamra, David J Fear, Susan John, Wayel Jassem, Richard W Groves, Jeremy D Sanderson, Michael G Robson, David P D’Cruz, Mats Bemark, Jo Spencer.
PMID: 33538776. [Full article]
2020
Humoral autoimmunity after solid organ transplantation: germinal ideas may not be natural. Cellular Immunology.
Jacqueline HY Siu, Reza Motallebzadeh, Gavin J Pettigrew.
PMID: 32563029. [Full article]
2019
Human Intestinal Lymphoid Tissue in Time and Space. Mucosal Immunology.
Jo Spencer, Jacqueline HY Siu, Lucia Montorsi.
PMID: 30542110. [Full article]
Prolongation of Allograft Survival by Passenger Donor Regulatory T Cells. American Journal of Transplantation.
Ines G Harper, Olivera Gjorgjimajkoska, Jacqueline HY Siu, Jasvir Parmar, Arend Mulder, Frans HJ Claas, Sarah A Hosgood, Michael L Nicholson, Reza Motallebzadeh, Gavin J Pettigrew.
PMID: 30548563. [Full article]
Reduced CD27– IgD– B Cells in Blood and Raised CD27– IgD– B Cells in Gut-Associated Lymphoid Tissue in Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Frontiers in Immunology.
Chathyan Pararasa, Na Zhang, Thomas J Tull, Ming HA Chong, Jacqueline HY Siu, William Guesdon, Konstantia Maria Chavele, Jeremy D Sanderson, Louise Langmead, Klaartje Kok, Jo Spencer, Anna Vossenkamper.
PMID: 30891036. [Full article]
2018
Spatiotemporal Segregation of Human Marginal Zone and Memory B Cell Populations in Lymphoid Tissue. Nature Communications.
Yuan Zhao*, Mohamed Uduman*, Jacqueline HY Siu*, Thomas J Tull*, … Steven H Kleinstein, Mats Bemark, Jo Spencer. (* co-primary)
PMID: 30242242. [Full article]
T Cell Allorecognition Pathways in Solid Organ Transplantation. Frontiers in Immunology.
Jacqueline HY Siu, Veena Surendrakumar, James A Richards, Gavin J Pettigrew.
PMID: 30455697. [Full article]