University of Salford
I first studied at Lancaster University then to Manchester to take the MSc in Medical and Molecular Microbiology.
I moved to the department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology in the University of Sheffield, and studied for a PhD in biofilm physiology under Professor Robert Poole. I developed a chemostat model to grow biofilms for transcriptomic profiling and discovered that Escherichia coli forms biofilms more efficiently in the absence of oxygen.
After the PhD, I worked in Malawi with Ripple Africa, teaching biology, training teachers and helping out at the local rural hospital. This was a fantastic experience and I retain strong ties with the community in which I lived.
I returned to Manchester in 2009 and joined NeuTec Pharma, where I discovered a target for an antibody therapy candidate against Clostridium difficile. I returned to the University of Manchester in 2010, developing models to investigate anti-biofilm and anti-bacterial effects of oral healthcare formulations – research that had a direct impact on the development of healthcare products. I also pursued a side-project characterising the adaptation of Staphylococcus aureus to triclosan, which highlighted the remarkable ability of bacteria to adapt to their surroundings.
In order to pursue my interests in host-microbe interactions, I chose a second postdoctoral position in 2015 with Dr Cath O’Neill investigating the roles of the skin microbiome in barrier disruption and inflammation. I developed a reproducible ex-vivo skin model to explore the complex interactions of our skin with our resident bacteria.
I moved to the University of Salford in 2016, where I combine my interests in bacteria, biofilms, host-microbe interactions and antimicrobials. I want to enthuse a new generation of microbiologists in all things bacterial and instil a healthy respect for the promises and dangers of antimicrobial use. I continue to work in Malawi whenever possible and look forward to establishing research there.
Areas of research
Antimicrobial Resistance, Host-Microbe Interactions, Microbiology, Microbiome, Hospital Infection
For millions of years, we have been evolving alongside a host of microbes that live on us, in us and which help us to survive. ‘We’ interact with ‘them’ constantly but we are only just starting to figure out what these interactions are and what they might mean.
My research focuses on characterising some of these interactions, looking at how bacteria adapt to life on Planet Human and how we, in turn, respond to these changes. I want to know what happens when these interactions are disturbed through disease and antibiotic use.
If we can dissect these complex relationships, we might hope to eventually develop much smarter ways to combat infection and antibiotic resistance.
Qualifications
BSc (Hons) Biological Sciences, Lancaster University, 2000
MSc Medical and Molecular Microbiology, University of Manchester, 2003
PhD Molecular Biology of Biofilms, University of Sheffield, 2008
Memberships
The Microbiology Society
American Society of Microbiology
Society for Applied Microbiology
European Society of Dermatological Research
0161 295 3864 