Research PG
- About
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- Office Address
- School/Department
- School of Biological Sciences
Biography
Antibiotic-resistant E. coli mutants streaked out on LB
agar plates containing rifampicin.My PhD project is supervised by Dr Tom Vogwill (co-supervisors: Prof Nick Colegrave and Prof Stuart Piertney) and funded by the EASTBIO DTP. Together, we plan to utilise a range of techniques to investigate the fitness costs associated with antibiotic resistance, including laboratory microbiology, data synthesis and comparative genomics. The experimental evidence we aim to provide will reveal key missing pieces in our understanding of the evolutionary mechanisms underpinning antibiotic resistance, and the results could both improve the validity of laboratory experiments and inform clinical practice.
2021 - Present | University of Aberdeen - PhD in Evolutionary Microbiology
2016 - 2021 | University of Glasgow - MSci Microbiology
Master's thesis - Dr Ronald Garcia & Prof Rolf Müller
'Characterisation of SBNm036, fam. nov., gen. nov., sp. nov., a bacterium belonging to the order Cytophagales isolated from soil collected in Saarbrücken, Germany.'Master's dissertation
'Type VI secretion system-dependent antibacterial killing is important for the success of Vibrio cholerae in the aquatic environment and
the human host.'Honours project - Prof Daniel Walker
'Investigating the relationship between variable residues within the cytotoxic domain of Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica nuclease-type bacteriocins and the binding site of their respective immunity proteins.'Summer studentship - Dr Gillian Douce
'Isolation and characterisation of soil bacteria producing novel antimicrobial substances that are effective against Clostridium difficile.'Qualifications
- MSci Microbiology2021 - University of Glasgow
A five-year integrated master's degree including a year-long research placement at HIPS in Saarbrücken, Germany, supervised by Dr Ronald Garcia and Prof Rolf Müller. My master's project involved isolating and characterising soil myxobacteria with the aim of identifying novel antimicrobial agents. My final-year honours project (supervised by Prof Daniel Walker) involved identifying nuclease-type bacteriocins in Salmonella enterica and using in silico methods to model their protein-protein interactions.
Memberships and Affiliations
- Internal Memberships
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Aberdeen Microbe Network
Network of microbiologists across the university with the goal of identifying areas for research collaboration across disciplines to solve microbiology's grand challenges.Centre for Microbes in Health and Disease
Interdisciplinary research centre aiming to improve our understanding of infections, elucidate the role and the importance of microbes in our health and to promote the development of innovative therapies.Decolonising SBS - Postgraduate Group
PGR students working to dismantle systems and processes that perpetuate inequality within our department and across the university. Antiracism learning + decolonisation action. - External Memberships
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Mental Health First Aider
Qualified with SCQF Level 5 award in First Aid for Mental Health. I'm a point of contact for anyone who wants to talk about their mental health and can provide confidential, non-judgemental support alongside guidance for those seeking further help.
Prizes and Awards
Microbial Genomics Best Poster Prize - Microbiology Society Annual Conference 2023
- Research
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Research Specialisms
- Microbiology
- Evolution
Our research specialisms are based on the Higher Education Classification of Subjects (HECoS) which is HESA open data, published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
Knowledge Exchange
Explorathon 2022 September 2022
xxx.BioBlitz 2022 June 2022
xxx. - Teaching
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Courses
2022-23 Semester 2
Practical demonstrator on a second-year course introducing the mechanisms of animal body functions from cells to the whole organism.
- Dissection, data collection and experimental design | 'Heart and Circulatory System'
- Data analysis skills | 'Visual Distortion'
2022-23 Semester 2
Practical demonstrator on a third-year course exploring the complex systems used to investigate animal physiology.
- Molecular biology methods and advanced data interpretation
- Clinical diagnostics and immunology
2022-23 Semester 1
Practical demonstrator on a series of second-year labs that underpin teaching on the basic mechanisms of molecular genetics, inheritance and evolution.
- Scoring Mendelian Traits | 'Handling Flies'
- Building Phylogenies | 'Flower Dissections'
- Skills for CRISPR 1 | 'Plating E. coli and Pipetting Skills'
- Skills for CRISPR 2 | 'DNA Extraction and PCR'
- Skills for CRISPR 3 | 'Gel Electrophoresis'
2022-23 Semester 1
Practical demonstrator on a first-year course that introduces fundamental topics in biological science, from animal behaviour to molecular methods.
- Animal Behaviour | 'Decoding the Honeybee Waggle Dance'
- Microbiology and Infectious Disease | 'Measuring Protists'
- Immunology | 'Colorimetry Practical'
- Environmental Physiology | 'Photosynthesis'
