Associate Professor and Course Director for MSc Clinical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences
I obtained my BSc (First Class) in Biological & Biochemical Sciences from the University of Salford (1987) and my PhD in Molecular Microbiology from the Department of Genetics, University of Leicester (1991). After postdoctoral work in Leicester I took up a post-doctoral fellowship in the Molecular Bacteriology & Immunology Group (MBIG), University of Nottingham. After moving to the BBSRC Institute of Food Research I returned to Nottingham in 2001 as a University Research Fellow within the MBIG and was appointed as a Lecturer in Bacteriology in 2003. My research interests include molecular pathogenesis, host cell interactions of bacterial pathogens and bacterial protein secretion. I have carried out extensive studies on the interactions of the enteric pathogen Campylobacter jejuni with model host cells in vitro and on iron-responsive gene regulation in this organism. My current research focuses on the molecular pathogenesis of, and host response to, Neisseria meningitidis and C. jejuni and the role of bacterial secreted proteins in pathogenesis and their potential as vaccine candidates.
My main areas of expertise are in molecular and cellular microbiology, bacterial protein secretion, and bacterial vaccines
I am the Programm Lead for the MSc in Clinical Microbiology and a member of the Postgraduate Taught Course Committee. I am the Examinations Officer for the School of Molecular Medical Sciences. I am… read more
My current research focuses on the molecular pathogenesis of, and host response to Neisseria meningitidis and Campylobacter jejuni and the role of bacterial secreted proteins in pathogenesis and… read more
I am the Programm Lead for the MSc in Clinical Microbiology and a member of the Postgraduate Taught Course Committee. I am the Examinations Officer for the School of Molecular Medical Sciences. I am a module convenor for the Advanced Clinical Microbiology and Infection Control & Public Health modules. I teach on these, as well as a number of other modules contributing to several MSc courses in areas including Campylobacter jejuni biology and pathogenesis; Bacterial Protein Secretion; Phase and Antigenic Variation in bacterial pathogens; and Bacterial vaccines. In addition to delivering traditional lectures I have designed Problem-based learn sessions and Student-based learning activities. I also contribute to teaching in practical sessions.
My current research focuses on the molecular pathogenesis of, and host response to Neisseria meningitidis and Campylobacter jejuni and the role of bacterial secreted proteins in pathogenesis and their potential as vaccine candidates. Specifically, I am interested in the role of the non-integrin laminin receptor in the pathogenesis of N. meningitidis, the role of bacterial autotransporters in Neisserial pathogenesis, characterisation of the iron (transferrin and lactoferrin) scavenging systems of N. meningitidis, and the role of blood group antigens in the pathogenesis of C. jejuni.
My PhD studies - under the guidance of Professor Peter Williams - focused on the aerobactin-mediated iron scavenging system found in many pathogenic isolates of Escherichia coli. Following my PhD I undertook postdoctoral work in the laboratory of Professor Julian Ketley in Leicester. My work initially focused on iron metabolism and regulation in Campylobacter jejuni, after which I worked on the cellular microbiology of this pathogen. I then moved to the laboratory of Professor Dlawer Ala'Aldeen in Nottingham, where I worked on characterising a number of vaccine candidates of Neisseria meningitidis. I then moved to the BBSRC Institute of Food Research to work on iron metabolism and two-component signalling systems in C. jejuni. Since my return to Nottingham in 2001 my work has focused on various aspects of molecular and cellular microbiology of N. meningitidis, C. jejuni and the porcine pathogen Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae; bacterial protein secretion in a number of pathogens; development of rapid diagnostic assays for detection of MRSA; as well as vaccine development in N. meningitidis and A. pleuropneumoniae.
The work described above is ongoing for the foreseeable future.
University of NottinghamMedical School Queen's Medical CentreNottingham NG7 2UH
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