Research
Research Interest 1
Nicola has 15 years research experience on bacterial zoonoses (including antimicrobial resistance) in wildlife, food and companion animal species, investigating reservoirs, survival in the environment, fitness and transmission between animals and to humans, using a combination of conventional microbiology and molecular biology and next generation sequencing. She has a large portfolio of research on foodborne pathogens, antimicrobial use and resistance (£>5 million to date), and has funding from UK research councils, the UK Food Standards Agency and Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra), industry (pharmaceutical, poultry producers, retailers) and EU (FP7 & EMIDA). Through her work she actively collaborates with colleagues in 10 EU countries, as well as Thailand, Kenya, Nigeria, Ethiopia and the US. She has published over 50 papers in peer-reviewed journals, many of which are on bacterial zoonoses, antimicrobial use and antimicrobial resistance.
Research grants
Fleming Fund Fellowship Fund
THE FLEMING FUND (UK)
February 2024 - December 2025
Chicken or Egg: Drivers for Antimicrobial Resistance in Poultry in India (DARPI)
DEPARTMENT FOR BUSINESS, ENERGY AND INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY (BEIS) (UK)
July 2018 - March 2022
Mapping the patterns and drivers of antibiotic use and environmental resistance in the Argentine beef industry.
BIOTECHNOLOGY & BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE RESEARCH COUNCIL
August 2019 - March 2024
EVSNET – Equine Veterinary Surveillance Network for the UK Equine Population
THE HORSE TRUST (UK)
August 2020 - August 2025
One Health Research Network for the Horn of Africa (HORN)
BIOTECHNOLOGY & BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE RESEARCH COUNCIL
October 2017 - March 2023
Does AMR in livestock contribute to AMR in people in NE India? An interdisciplinary study.
DEPARTMENT FOR BUSINESS, ENERGY AND INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY (BEIS) (UK)
July 2018 - June 2021
Bench fees for Dr. Dominic Mureithi
COMMONWEALTH SCHOLARSHIP COMMISSION (UK)
November 2021 - October 2025
A whole supply chain hurdle approach to control Campylobacter
BIOTECHNOLOGY & BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE RESEARCH COUNCIL
September 2016 - June 2019
Bench fees for Veysel Bay
TURKISH EMBASSY (LONDON)
November 2015 - October 2018
Bench fees for Veysel Bay
TURKISH EMBASSY (LONDON)
November 2015 - October 2018
The emerging problem of antimicrobial resistance in equines: Investigating carriage and infections with multidrug resistant bacteria in horses
THE HORSE TRUST (UK)
August 2016 - October 2021
Susceptibility of broiler chickens to Campylobacter: impacts of the gut environment and immune status on colonisation
BIOTECHNOLOGY & BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE RESEARCH COUNCIL
October 2012 - February 2016
Campylobacter control - novel approaches in primary poultry production: acronym: CamCon
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
May 2010 - April 2015
National surveillance of antimicrobial consumption and resistance in companion pet animals.
DEPARTMENT FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS (UK)
June 2014 - March 2019
The role of Clostridium difficile, Clostridium perfringens and microbial community flora diversity in the equine gastrointestinal tract in hospital-acquired diarrhoea in horses
PET PLAN CHARITABLE TRUST (UK)
October 2007 - July 2009
Antimicrobial use and carriage of antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli and staphylococci in dogs and horses in the community: molecular mechanisms of resistance and risk to humans
DEPARTMENT FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS (UK)
August 2007 - November 2016
Thailand campylobacter and chicken projects
BIOTECHNOLOGY & BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE RESEARCH COUNCIL
June 2012 - June 2016
Antibiotic use in food-producing animals in the UK
DEPARTMENT FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS (UK)
April 2010 - February 2012
Value in People Award 2005.
WELLCOME TRUST (UK)
October 2005 - September 2009
Development of accurate predictive models for the assessment of the survival of Campylobacter jejuni C.coli under food relevant conditions
FOOD STANDARDS AGENCY (UK)
April 2011 - January 2015
Can Volatile Organic Compounds be used to detect Campylobacter infection in Poultry Houses?
ROBOSCIENTIFIC LIMITED (UK)
October 2012 - March 2013
Molecular characterisation of Extended Spectrum β-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae in broiler chickens and abattoir workers in Romania
BRITISH SOCIETY FOR ANTIMICROBIAL CHEMOTHERAPY (UK)
September 2012 - February 2013
The epidemiology of campylobacter infection in dogs in the context of the risk of infection to humans.
DEPARTMENT FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS (UK)
July 2005 - November 2009
Contact-network studies between dogs, and between dogs and humans.
VETERINARY LABORATORIES AGENCY (UK)
October 2004 - April 2008
Does feeding raw meat diets expose our pets and households to antimicrobial resistant bacterial pathogens?
BRITISH SMALL ANIMAL VETERINARY ASSOCIATION (UK)
July 2015 - September 2015
Investigating Extended Spectrum Beta Lactamase producing bacterial infections in companion animals.
BRITISH SMALL ANIMAL VETERINARY ASSOCIATION (UK)
April 2013 - March 2014
Application of whole genome sequencing to fully characterise Campylobacter isolates from the IID1 and IID2 studies.
FOOD STANDARDS AGENCY (UK)
January 2014 - February 2015
Antimicrobial use and risk of resistance; an epidemiological study of antimicrobial-reistant E.coli and staphylococci in the horse.
BRANSBY HOME OF REST FOR HORSES
June 2007 - May 2010
Veterinary Pathogen Genomics – One Genome for every 50 years of the RCVS Trust
ROYAL COLLEGE OF VETERINARY SURGEONS TRUST (RCVS) - (UK)
July 2008 - June 2011
Motivations and drivers of antimicrobial prescribing practises in farmed animals
DEPARTMENT FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS (UK)
June 2012 - March 2016
Research collaborations
Dr William Miller
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Collaboration on multilocus sequence typing projects on Arcobacter spp and Campylobacter spp, as well as on the whole genome sequencing of a Arcobacter butzleri bovine strain.
Dr Chris Sherlock
The University of Lancaster
Analysis of data sets, providing data sets for research projects and developing new statistical techniques.
Professor Seamus Fanning
University College Dublin, Ireland
Collaboration on antimicrobial resistance projects using phenotyping array and exchange of techniques.
Professor Martin Woodward
Veterinary Laboratories Agency
Molecular epidemiology of antimicrobial resistance.
Professor Tom Humphreys
University of Bristol
On the steering group for their DEFRA-funded antimicrobial resistance project and collaborate on other projects involving campylobacter.
Veterinary Surveillance Team (WEMH)
The Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA)
The epidemiology of Salmonella spp in badger social groups.
Dr Luca Guildabassi
Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University Copenhagen, Denmark
Collaboration on research on typing and evolution of methicillin-resistant staphylococci in animals and veterinary personnel.