Research
I am a Molecular Microbiologist interested in how bacteria and phages interact and survive in their environments, their genomic architecture and the molecular mechanisms of phage resistance. I am currently working as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Jay Hinton Lab, focused on the molecular mechanisms and environmental reservoirs of invasive Salmonella Enteritidis & their phages, and leading the “10,000 Salmonella Genomes" project
Salmonella Enteritidis
I work as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Jay Hinton's Lab, as part of a Wellcome Trust project to study the virulence properties of invasive Salmonella. My work is focused on the molecular mechanisms and environmental reservoirs of invasive Salmonella Enteritidis & its phages, of 2 novel S. Enteritidis clades identified in sub-Saharan African regions, related to bloodstream infection. This project involves the generation and analysis of phenotypic characterisation, genomic and transcriptomic (RNA-seq) datasets for S. Enteritidis strains grown under infection-relevant conditions.
10,000 Salmonella Genomes project
As part of the Hinton lab, I have also had a key role in the the GCRF funded "10,000 Salmonella genomes" project, which collected and sequenced 10,419 Salmonella isolates from low- and middle-income countries. I was in charge of creating and maintaining international collaborations, coordinating sample preparation and transport, optimising protocols, preparing informative material and curating the metadata.
Phages
Phages are very abundant, but also greatly understudied. They can carry genes involved in many bacterial processes and are sometimes call the "puppet masters". For example, phages can carry bacterial virulence and metabolism genes, and play a key role in biogeochemical cycles. I'm interested in isolating and studying phages from environmental sources, especially water sources.