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Harriet Parsons (PhD) | Bioinformatician

Specialist in Mass Spectrometry data. Careful with data processing. Thoughtful with data visualisation





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See my recent professional experience

Experience
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Click here to see my degrees, grants and awards

Education and awards
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Browse my academic publications here

Publications
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Take a look at some of my personal projects.

Projects





PUBLICATIONS

Original Research Articles

Competition between two HUSH complexes orchestrates the immune response to retroelement invasion. Molecular Cell 8415 2870-2881. e5 2024

Danac, Joshua Miguel C; Matthews, Rachael E; Gungi, Akhila; Qin, Chuyan; , Parsons, Harriet T, Antrobus, Robin; Timms, Richard T; Tchasovnikarova, Iva A;



Quantitative proteomics reveals differential extracellular vesicle cargo from M1 and M2 monocyte-derived human macrophages bioRxiv 2024

Pantazi, Paschalia; Clements, Toby; Parsons, Harriet T; Kaforou, Myrsini; Heesom, Kate J; Bennett, Phillip R; Guller, Seth; Abrahams, Vikki M; Holder, Beth;



Proteomic analysis of circulating immune cells identifies cellular phenotypes associated with COVID-19 severity Cell Reports 426 2023

Potts, Martin; Fletcher-Etherington, Alice; Nightingale, Katie; Mescia, Federica; Bergamaschi, Laura; Calero-Nieto, Fernando J; Antrobus, Robin; Williamson, James; Parsons, Harriet; Huttlin, Edward L;



Separating Golgi proteins from cis to trans reveals underlying properties of cisternal localization. The Plant Cell 2019

Parsons, Harriet T; Stevens, Tim J; McFarlane, Heather E; Vidal-Melgosa, Silvia; Griss, Johannes; Lawrence, Nicola; Butler, Richard; Sousa, Mirta ML; Salemi, Michelle; Willats, William George Tycho;



Ethylene receptors, CTRs and EIN2 target protein identification and quantification through parallel reaction monitoring during tomato fruit ripening. Frontiers in Plant Science 9 16-26 2018

Mata, Clara I; Fabre, Bertrand; Parsons, Harriet T; Hertog, Maarten LATM; Van Raemdonck, Geert; Baggerman, Geert; Van de Poel, Bram; Lilley, Kathryn S; Nicolaï, Bart M;



In‐depth characterization of the tomato fruit pericarp proteome Proteomics 17 460541 600406 2017

Mata, Clara I; Fabre, Bertrand; Hertog, Maarten LATM; Parsons, Harriet T; Deery, Michael J; Lilley, Kathryn S; Nicolai, Bart M;



Multiple marker abundance profiling: combining selected reaction monitoring and data‐dependent acquisition for rapid estimation of organelle abundance in subcellular samples The Plant Journal 926 1202-1217 2017

Hooper, Cornelia M; Stevens, Tim J; Saukkonen, Anna; Castleden, Ian R; Singh, Pragya; Mann, Gregory W; Fabre, Bertrand; Ito, Jun; Deery, Michael J; Lilley, Kathryn S; Heazlewood, Joshua L; Parsons, Harriet T



Spectral Libraries for SWATH‐MS Assays for Drosophila melanogaster and Solanum lycopersicum. Proteomics 17211700216 2017

Fabre, Bertrand; Korona, Dagmara; Mata, Clara I; Parsons, Harriet T; Deery, Michael J; Hertog, Maarten LATM; Nicolaï, Bart M; Russell, Steven; Lilley, Kathryn S;



Identification and evolution of a plant cell wall specific glycoprotein glycosyl transferase, ExAD Scientific Reports 7145341 2017

Møller, Svenning Rune; Yi, Xueying; Velásquez, Silvia Melina; Gille, Sascha; Hansen, Pernille Louise Munke; Poulsen, Christian P; Olsen, Carl Erik; Rejzek, Martin; Parsons, Harriet; Yang, Zhang; Hans H Wandall; Henrik Clausen; Robert A Field; Markus Pauly; Jose M Estevez; Jesper Harholt; Peter Ulvskov; Bent Larsen Petersen



Free-flow electrophoresis of plasma membrane vesicles enriched by two-phase partitioning enhances the quality of the proteome from Arabidopsis seedlings Journal of proteome research 153 900-913 2016

de Michele, Roberto; McFarlane, Heather E; Parsons, Harriet T; Meents, Miranda J; Lao, Jeemeng; González Fernández-Niño, Susana M; Petzold, Christopher J; Frommer, Wolf B; Samuels, A Lacey; Heazlewood, Joshua L;



Beyond the Western front: targeted proteomics and organelle abundance profiling Frontiers in plant science 6301 2015

Parsons, Harriet T; Heazlewood, Joshua L;



Golgi enrichment and proteomic analysis of developing Pinus radiata xylem by free-flow electrophoresis PLoS One 812e 84669 2013

Parsons, Harriet T; Weinberg, Cristina S; Macdonald, Lucy J; Adams, Paul D; Petzold, Christopher J; Strabala, Timothy J; Wagner, Armin; Heazlewood, Joshua L;



Isolation and proteomic characterization of the Arabidopsis Golgi defines functional and novel components involved in plant cell wall biosynthesis Plant Physiology 159146357 2012

Parsons, Harriet T; Christiansen, Katy; Knierim, Bernhard; Carroll, Andrew; Ito, Jun; Batth, Tanveer S; Smith-Moritz, Andreia M; Morrison, Stephanie; McInerney, Peter; Hadi, Masood Z; Manfred Auer, Aindrila Mukhopadhyay; Christopher J Petzold; Henrik V Scheller; Dominique Loqué; Heazlewood, Joshua L;



Oxidation of dehydroascorbic acid and 2, 3-diketogulonate under plant apoplastic conditions Phytochemistry 75 41-49 2012

Parsons, Harriet TFry, Stephen C;



Alternative pathways of dehydroascorbic acid degradation in vitro and in plant cell cultures: novel insights into vitamin C catabolism Biochemical Journal 4403 375-385 2011

Parsons, Harriet T; Yasmin, Tayyaba; Fry, Stephen C;



Reactive oxygen species‐induced release of intracellular ascorbate in plant cell‐suspension cultures and evidence for pulsing of net release rate New Phytologist 1872 332-342 2010

Parsons, Harriet T; Fry, Stephen C;



Reviews


The current state of the Golgi proteome Proteomic Applications in Biology 167-188 2012

Parsons, Harriet T; Ito, Jun; Park, Eunsook; Carroll, Andrew W; Joshi, Hiren J; Petzold, Christopher J; Drakakaki, Georgia; Heazlewood, Joshua L;



Mass spectrometry approaches to study plant endomembrane trafficking Seminars in Cell & Developmental Biology 80 123-132 2018

Parsons, Harriet T; Lilley, Kathryn S;



The Arabidopsis cytosolic proteome: the metabolic heart of the cell Frontiers in plant science 521 2014

Ito, Jun; Parsons, Harriet T; Heazlewood, Joshua L;



Proteomic dissection of the Arabidopsis Golgi and trans-Golgi network Frontiers in plant science 3298 2013

Parsons, Harriet T; Drakakaki, Georgia; Heazlewood, Joshua L;



Book Chapters


Preparation of Highly Enriched ER Membranes Using Free-Flow Electrophoresis The Plant Endoplasmic Reticulum: Methods and Protocols, Springer US New York, NY, 2024

Parsons, Harriet T



Identification and quantification of the ethylene signalling components in tomato through targeted proteomics ISHS Acta Horticulturae 1256: VI International Conference Postharvest Unlimited 2017

C.I. Mata, M.L.A.T.M. Hertog, B. Fabre, H. Parsons, K. Lilley, B. Nicolaï



Separation of the plant Golgi apparatus and endoplasmic reticulum by free-flow electrophoresis Plant proteomics: methods and protocols 527-539 2013

Parsons, Harriet T; Fernández-Niño, Susana M González; Heazlewood, Joshua L;



Enrichment of Golgi membranes from Triticum aestivum (wheat) seedlings Isolation of Plant Organelles and Structures: Methods and Protocols 2017

Zeng, Wei; Ebert, Berit; Parsons, Harriet T; Rautengarten, Carsten; Bacic, Antony; Heazlewood, Joshua L;



Commercial Applications


SpikeTidesTM for Subcellular Marker Proteins offer Improved Analysis of Complex Plant Samples Isolation of Plant Organelles and Structures: Methods and Protocols 2017

Hooper, Cornelia M; Stevens, Tim J; Deery, Mike; Lilley, Kathryn S; Petzold, Christopher J; Millar, A Harvey; Heazlewood, Joshua L; Parsons, Harriet T






Experience

2025 – 2026 Bioinformatician, Sonrai Analytics, Belfast / Remote, working on multi-omic data analysis within precision diagnostics and biotech collaborations.

  • Applied advanced statistical analysis and modelling to large-scale proteomics, lipidomics and metabolomics mass spectrometry datasets across discovery and validation cohorts.
  • Delivered machine learning and feature selection pipelines with predictive models to support target identification, biomarker discovery and diagnostic development.
  • Worked directly with diagnostic and biotech clients on target ID and validation projects, translating biological questions into robust analytical workflows.
  • Contributed to cross-modal analyses integrating proteomic, lipidomic, metabolomic and sequencing data, including scRNA-seq datasets.
  • Developed reproducible pipelines in Python for exploratory data analysis, quality control, normalisation, batch correction and model evaluation.
  • Supported scientific content creation, including technical reports, white papers and client-facing presentations.
  • Contributed to technical sales processes by preparing demonstrations, proof-of-concept analyses and pitch decks.
  • Worked within an agile software development environment using Git via Bitbucket, Jira for task management and daily stand-ups and sprint reviews.
  • Mentored new team members and contributed to onboarding and technical training.
  • Engaged directly with clients to communicate results, discuss study design and refine analytical strategy

2022 - 2024 Bioinformatician, Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, Cambridge University.

  • Designed and implemented a Laboratory Information Management System using Python, SQL, HTML, Jinja and JavaScript, integrating a relational database with a dynamic, role-based web interface.
  • Built infrastructure to log experimental requests, track samples, manage data access and monitor project costs.
  • Performed statistical analysis of large-scale mass spectrometry datasets, including spatial proteomics.
  • Developed command line and web-based tools for Gaussian mixture modelling and quantitative analysis of proteomics data.
  • Collaborated on neural network approaches for molecular biology applications.
  • Generated high-resolution spatial protein maps within cells using integrated computational workflows.

2018 – 2021 Maternity leave and career break.

  • Maintained active engagement in scientific research through manuscript writing, peer review and ongoing publication activity.
  • Volunteered with the local Maternity Voices Partnership, providing one-to-one birth trauma listening support.
  • Designed and delivered monthly statistical infographics for the local maternity unit, translating service data into accessible visual insights for clinical teams.
  • Led surveys of perinatal mental health service experiences across Cambridge, analysing results and presenting findings at regional and national NHS meetings.
  • Developed strong skills in stakeholder communication, data presentation and public speaking within healthcare settings.

2018 Research Support Officer, MRC Laboratory for Molecular Biology

  • Provided analytical support for machine learning, spatial proteomics and organelle separation studies in Prof. Sean Munro’s group.
  • Developed R and Python scripts for data visualisation and analysis using pRoloc and pandas.
  • Contributed to experimental design and downstream statistical interpretation.

2018 Associate Manager/Scientist II, British American Tobacco

  • Led research within a synthetic biology programme focused on production of high-value compounds in tobacco cell lines.
  • Characterised gene function, contributed to genome annotation, analysed metabolomic datasets and metabolic pathways.
  • Managed international collaborations, including with VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland.

2014 – 2017 Danish Research Council Independent Research Fellow, Copenhagen/Cambridge Universities

  • Conceived and led a multi-institutional project achieving the first separation and analysis of Golgi cisternae.
  • Integrated structured illumination microscopy, electron microscopy and glycan and proteomics mass spectrometry with bioinformatic analysis.
  • Conducted spatial proteomics with machine learning in Arabidopsis and performed targeted proteomics in rice and tomato.
  • Built and curated SWATH mass spectrometry libraries.
  • Managed annual research budget of approximately £72,000.
  • Produced 5 publications with over 100 citations.

2012 – 2014 Marie Curie Independent Research Fellow, Copenhagen University

  • Investigated protein–protein interactions in O-linked glycosylation pathways using high-throughput screening, yeast two hybrid and FRET imaging.
  • Initiated academic–industry collaboration to develop synthetic peptide standards for subcellular compartment analysis in plants.
  • Co-developed a commercial peptide marker suite and supporting analysis tools.
  • Managed annual research budget of approximately £45,000.
  • Produced 3 publications with over 50 citations.

2008 – 2012 Post-doctoral research associate, Joint Bioenergy Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, USA

  • Developed methodology for high-purity isolation of Golgi membranes across multiple plant species.
  • Characterised plant Golgi proteomes using mass spectrometry.
  • Established free-flow electrophoresis capability and trained research staff.
  • Contributed to 9 publications with over 280 citations.






Education

2021 – 2023 MSc in Bioinformatics (Distinction), Birkbeck, University of London. Modules focussing on Python, SQL and R in statistics, systems biology and structural biology. Extended project on the deconvolution of ion-mobility mass spectrometry data using Gaussian mixture modelling in Python.

2004 – 2008 PhD in Plant Biochemistry, Edinburgh University, UK Investigated degradation pathways of ascorbate in plants and cell culture. Established reaction sequence of oxidative ascorbate degradation in-vitro and demonstrated the existence of pulsed export/uptake of ascorbate/dehydroascorbate in plant cells. 3 publications, 151 citations to date.

1999 – 2004 BSc (Hons.) in Biology (First Class), University of Edinburgh, UK

Awards

2014 – 2017 The Danish Council for Independent Research fellowship ID: DFF – 1337-00066 2011 – 2013 Marie Curie Intra European Post-doctoral fellowship ID: 301401 2004 Dobbie Smith Award in BSc.Hons. Plant Sciences, Edinburgh University, UK. 2002 Genetics Society Internship, Natural History Museum, UK.