About me
I am a BBSRC funded MIBTP PhD student in my final year. I have a background in computer programming before returning to science to follow my fascination with the chemical reactions and biological processes of life, especially at the microbial and molecular levels.
Research
I am researching a predatory bacterium called Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus. This is a very small, fast moving, Gram-negative bacterium which predates a wide range of other Gram negative bacteria, including many important pathogens, such as E. coli, Salmonella and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. I am interested in how adding a predator into an otherwise stable microbial ecosystem affects the populations of bacteria. This is important, because infections, where Bdellovibrio may one day be used as a treatment, can contain many different bacterial species and eliminating one or two species may have unintended consequences. To investigate these I use a combination of computational models and experiments with live bacteria using an array of chemostats, which are well-mixed vessels, with fresh nutrients and air constantly pumped in and excess volume pushed out.
Brief CV
- October 2015 - present:
BBSRC funded MIBTP PhD student in the Kreft Lab at the University of Birmingham, researching the effects of the predatory bacterium Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus on microbial ecosystems. - October 2012 - July 2015:
BSc in Biochemistry at the University of Birmingham (1st) - 1992 - September 2012: Designing, developing, writing and testing IT software for the UK railway industry. Software was written in a combination of C++, Java and Visual basic, with an Oracle Sql database. The software was primarily concerned with scheduling of train services, and tracking mileage and maintenance of railway rolling stock to ensure safe and appropriate levels of maintenance.
- 1989 - 1992:
BSc in Natural Sciences at the University of Durham
Sponsors
My PhD is sponsored by the Midlands Integrative Biosciences Training Partnership (MIBTP), which is funded by BBSRC.
